The Findings of Earth
by Misanagi
Summary: -Complete- Reincarnation fic. To enter heaven Kenshin and Kaoru come to earth with the mission to find each other. A sequel to Heavenly Lost.
1. Prologue: The End and the Beginning

Disclaimer: Kenshin is not mine.

Author's Notes: So here it is. As I promised here is the sequel of "Heavenly Lost". **If you haven't read that story you can still read this one but it'll be nice if you check it out.**

To those of you who read "Heavenly Lost" I welcome you to this fic and I really hope you like it. The prologue of this one is an altered form of the epilogue of Heavenly Lost so you may find it familiar if you want you can skip to chapter one.

This is a reincarnation fic K&K (off course). Some of you already know but for the ones who don't English isn't my first language so there may be spelling, grammatical and other mistakes, I hope you'll forgive me.  I really hope you'll like the story and don't forget to review and tell me what you think.

Misanagi

*   *   *

The Findings of Earth

Prologue

The End and the Beginning

Two souls stood in a dessert. The sky was covered in dark clouds and the landscape was made of a gray kind of sand. There was nothing in sight, only sand as far as the eye could see. They were in limbo in a place between heaven and hell and far away from earth.

The souls were holding hands. The bodies they were given in the after life were covered in bruises but they didn't cared, they were together and they had managed to get out of hell. 

Kenshin widened his eyes. He had never been there before. He was glad to see something different that the usual dark city and its countless streets. He wondered if he was in heaven. He looked up at the sky to meet the same view he saw when he was in hell. That gray sky that never allowed him to see the light of the moon or the sun.

Kaoru got distracted when she saw a small spot in the horizon flying slowly towards them. She remained silent as the light approached them and it stopped just in front of them.

"I can see you managed to get his soul out of hell" Kaoru only nodded as a response. "You two passed every test we put you through"

Kaoru blinked and hesitated a moment before speaking.

"What do you mean by that?"

If the light had a face it would have smiled.

"We needed to know if you were worthy"

Kaoru was about to speak but she was cut off by the lights sweet voice.

"We first evaluated you as individuals, then as a couple and finally as soul mates"

"So what happens now?" Kenshin asked.

"That is up to you. You've earn the chance to have a second opportunity."

Kenshin and Kaoru looked at each other.

"Does that mean that I get to be reborn?" Asked Kenshin.

The light shone brighter for a moment "I know your soul is good but you still committed a great deal of crimes. Her soul has proven that you don't belong in hell but you don't belong in heaven either.  The only thing I can do is give you the chance to go to earth and try again." 

Kaoru smiled and held Kenshin's hand tighter.

"Did you heard that Kenshin? You can go back to earth"

Kenshin's eyes were still looking at the light. His expression hadn't changed.

"Every soul has a destiny" continued the sweet voice "there are al types of souls and each of them has to fulfill it. Every soul chooses the path it follows and their actions are what eventually allows them to go to heaven or sentenced them to hell. Kenshin your path was and always will be the one of a warrior but your destiny is to be with your soul mate. In your next life you will also be a warrior but the choices you made are the ones that would make your next life different from the last."

Kenshin nodded, he understood. The sword will always be with him but he had the choice to make it something good or bad.

"There is only one way your soul would ever be allowed to enter heaven. Kaoru's soul is linked to you. You got out of hell because you were together and that is the only way you'll ever be in heaven"

"So what you are saying is that Kaoru has to come to earth with me?"

"Yes."

Kaoru smiled "I don't care" she said to Kenshin "I said that I will always be with you and I mean it"

"Those words you spoken hold more truth in them that you think" The soft voice said. "As I said your souls are linked. Your destiny is to find each other in the next life, to love each other again and to learn something together. Only if you accomplish these things you'll both enter heaven but if you fail to do so you'll both be doomed to hell and this time there is no getting out."

Kenshin and Kaoru looked at each other. They went into the depths of each other's eyes, the melted the blue with the violet and they communicated with out words but saying more than any word could say. The understood that they were facing their destiny jointly, that whatever would happen they'll be together but they needed to be one to save themselves.  

"Yes" They said in one voice. Their eyes still lost in the other and their hands held together. 

"You have chosen your faith" Said the light as it disappeared slowly. "But I can guaranty you that it won't be an easy journey"

Kenshin and Kaoru knew that and they were ready to face whatever the light had in mind. The got closer to each other and finally their lips met. The shared one more kiss before their souls were separated and landed in earth.


	2. Chapter I: The Fallen Souls

Chapter I

The Fallen Souls

It had been a really long night. She wasn't sure how much time she spent in that room, she only knew that she was in deep pain. The forms in front of her were blurry. Her vision was fading and she felt so hot. A cold hand was placed in her forehead. She looked at the fainted form it belonged to and forced herself to recognize it. It was him. She smiled softly when she realized he was by her side but then again why wouldn't he be? He was always with her, he never left his side. She remembered many times before; every time she needed him he was just beside her. He remembered he never left his side when she had that accident some years ago. He stayed in the hospital with her and cared for her the many months she needed help in doing the simplest things. When the doctor told them that she could never have any children because the accident debilitated a lot her body he was there for her. That was why this was such an important night. They had defied all odds and they were so close to have a miracle. She knew it had only been seven months and that the part would be very difficult but she knew in her heart that they baby would be fine. 

"Come on miss, keep pushing"

She closed her eyes. Those were such easy words to say but following them was so difficult.

She felt a sharp pain in all of her body and she screamed loudly.

She heard footsteps all around her and then she heard the most beautiful sound, a baby was crying. Her baby.

"She is bleeding a lot" Said a voice.

"We have to stop the bleeding" Said another one. 

She could feel how her body was debilitating little by little but she didn't cared, her child was born.

"I want to see her" She said in a steady voice.

"You can see her later" Answer a nurse.

"Please I want to see her"

The nurse noted the desperate pleading in her voice and couldn't refuse.

A small child was placed in her hands. She looked at her. The baby had her eyes closed but she opened them just a little when her mother took her. The woman looked at the eyes of her child; they were the most beautiful tone of blue she had ever seen. She had already thought of a name for her. She and her husband had discussed it before, but when she looked at the eyes of her first born she changes her mind.

"Kaoru" She said as she looked at her husband one last time. "Kaoru"

"We can stop the bleeding"

"We are loosing her…"

*    *    *

A small boy stood in front of a burning house. He was looking intensely at the fire. The orange flames rose to the sky and consumed the small country house. He didn't understand everything that had happened. His hands and his body were splashed in blood and his face was covered by ashes. Silent tears slid down his cheeks. The boy was crying. He was only five and his small ayes had already witnessed more pain and suffering than most grown men. His mind wasn't working right. _"What had happened?" It took less than a minute to take everything away for him. Everything he ever held dear was lost. Everyone that cared for him was dead. He was alone and the only thing he could do was look at the bright fire that was consuming his every hope._

The blood of his parents was all over his body. They had killed them in front of him and there was noting he could do to protect them. He tightened his little fists as another tear wet his face. 

A strong hand was placed in his shoulder. He didn't move he was hypnotized by the fire.

"You belong to us now boy"

He didn't move so the man forced the kid to look at him.

"What's your name?"

He was about to respond but the man stopped him.

"From now on your name is Kenshin and you'll forget any memory you have from this place and from your life before us."

The boy nodded, the spell of the fire was broken and now he could understand that his life would never be the same. 

The man held his wrist tidily and dragged him away from the burning house and from his memories.   

*   *   *

Kaoru was running in the park. His father was looking at her with a smile on his face. The small girl was beautiful. She had dark black hair and the deepest blue eyes. Her skin was white and soft and her lips were small and pink. The father watched with pride as her small miracle played in the park.

When his wife had that terrible accident he lost hope in having children but when he found out she was pregnant his life lightened up again. They knew I was risky, the doctors told them that but they wanted to go through with it anyway, if there was even the smallest hope in having a child they would take any risk. Those were brave words. When they decided they were going to go through with it he knew what could happen but some part of him just didn't believed it was possible. There is always that small part in the soul of every human that refuses to believe that something bad can happen but then it does. He remembered the last look she gave him, she was happy, she died happy. 

Now he contemplated at her miracle baby, his Kaoru. 

He loved her so much but he still felt sorry for her. She had to grow up without ever knowing the love of a mother, but no matter what he would love her enough for both of them. 

"Kao-chan" He said. The small girl instantly ran towards her father. He looked at her, she was smiling, she always did.

"We are going to visit your mother today"

The girl nodded and kept smiling. "Should I get some flowers?" She asked in the innocent voice of a ten year old.

"We'll get some on the way" he said as he put a hand in her shoulder. 

They left for the cemetery. 

*   *   *

Kenshin was standing beside one of his bosses. The night was freezing so he closed his jacked so he could get warmer. His violet eyes were looking at the metal door in front of him. His ears were alerted to any sound that may be suspicious. The metal door opened and another one of the men in the gang came outside.

"Is clear, we can go in"

He walked inside the building fallowed by one of the men. He wasn't afraid, he had done that so many times before that it didn't scare him any more. The place was dark but he was use to the dark.

"Ok move, said the first boss. Kid you stay here, if anyone shows kill him, I don't want any witnesses."

The boy stood there, they never wanted any witnesses. He silently prayed that no one will appear. He didn't want to kill anyone. When he did it before he felt how he was killing a part of his soul. It hurt and it never stopped hurting. They forced him to go with them to their "missions". He hated it, he was used to it but he hated it. He knew what they did was wrong but he felt so helpless, like there was nothing he could do to stop them and there wasn't. He was never told exactly what happened in their missions, he always stood and watched or they used him to get inside the small spaces no one else could. The main part of the mission was done by the bosses. 

He heard small footsteps approaching from the front. He was really good at listening; he was trained to do it. He held his dagger in his hand. That was his weapon, he wasn't allowed to have a gun until he was sixteen and he was only fourteen. The foot steps became louder and louder and suddenly he was able to see the figure making them.

It was a girl, a small girl that couldn't be older than six. H looked at her and for a moment time stopped. He had a child standing in front of him, a child! She most have been the same age he was when he lost everything. He couldn't kill her, no matter what he couldn't kill her. 

Time unfroze and the girl looked at him. She opened her mouth and screamed. Kenshin just stood there watching her scream. Suddenly the house was lightened and shots were heard. The firs one he saw coming down the stairs was the first boss fallowed closely by the other members of the gang. He looked at Kenshin and then at the girl standing in front of him still screaming. If he was going to do something he didn't had the chance. Another gun shot was heard and he reacted.

"Let's get out of here" He screamed and everyone ran outside and into their vehicles, even Kenshin.

Kenshin was thrown in a cell in the basement the minute they arrived their safe house.

He slept in a cell but the cell he was in now was very different. He had a bed a bathroom and a mirror in his but this one was an empty dark cell. The cells in the basement were reserved for the people they captured not for the members of the gang. He knew he wasn't really a member but he had to work for them so he wasn't that type of hostage. His hands were cuffed together. He sat in the floor leaning in a wall. He knew he was about to be punished. He had been punished before, every time he did or said something the boss didn0t liked he was punished. He was beaten all the time and sometimes the starved him but he had never been locked in a basement cell. The mission was a failure and it was his fault. The girl had screamed before the mission was completed and they were forced to leave. It was an important mission, he knew that, but he didn't care. His conscience was clean, the girl was alive and he knew that whatever the mission was it was anything but good, so he was glad that for the first time he was able to stop it.  He wondered if they would kill him. They were able to, they owned him and there was nothing he could do about it. 

He heard the door being unlocked. He stood up and looked at it. The first boss came in accompanied by two other men of the gang. Kenshin looked at them, the people in the gang were never nice to him, they all despised him, but the two that were with the first boss really hated him.

The boss approached him and the other two walked slowly behind him. He looked at Kenshin and didn't say a word, but then the boy felt his fist on his face. Kenshin felt to the floor and before he could get up he got hit again. They hit him for an hour with out saying a word and then they left. They did the same thing for the next seven days. Kenshin was a complete mess; his body was covered with bruises, his lip was cut and his wrists were swollen for the tight cuffs. He was hungry, they hadn't feed him much and he was really weak. He was beaten before but it had never been this bad, still Kenshin was glad; he smiled softly because he knew he had done the right thing. The door opened one more time. He tried to get up but his legs wouldn't hold his body weight so he just stayed in the floor waiting for them to hit him. They did and he bit his lips so he wouldn't scream. When they finish the first boss knelt beside him and put his hand on Kenshin's chin forcing him to look up. 

"This is to teach you to never be kind again" 

Kenshin saw the knife approaching his face and then he felt the sharp pain as it cut his skin. He didn't close his eyes and didn't scream. The men left and the door was closed behind them. Kenshin's face was covered in blood and now he had a scar in his left cheek but he didn't care. Every part of his body was in pain but he felt better than he ever did, he did something good for someone and that was a feeling powerful enough to make him forget his injuries. He closed his eyes and made a promise to himself as he felt asleep; he would do everything in his power to keep that feeling in his heart.  

*    *   *

A/N: So what do you think? I'm sorry if it's a little angsty but I think every story needs some angst in it and besides the light said it wouldn't' be easy ne? This is only the beginning and I really hope you liked it. Please write and tell me what you think!!!! ^_^x


	3. Chapter II: The Price to Pay

A/N: I can not believe the support you guys gave me for the fic!!! Thanks so much!

To answer some of your questions… The little girl Kenshin didn't kill isn't Kaoru. The story is set in modern times in Japan. Now to the story….

*   *   *

Chapter II

The Price to Pay

Kenshin was lying in the floor looking at the dark ceiling.  There was really nothing to see but he didn't want to close his eyes because he might fall asleep and that was the last thing he wanted. He couldn't tell time but he thought that he had been in that dark cell for two weeks more or less. They had stop hitting him, the last visit he had of that type was when the first boss slashed his face. Since then he had been locked there having just one glass of water a day and a piece of old bread. He was hungry. He was cold, the floor of the cell was freezing and there was no way he could warm himself. The nights were the worst, they were the coldest and they appeared to last forever. He was tired too but he didn't want to sleep. At first he tried to stay awake so the punishers wouldn't take him by surprise but now he was just avoiding the dreams. Since that last time they hit him he had a lot of weird dreams. He saw a lot of images but when he woke up he didn't remember them. He just remembered a dark feeling of sorrow, regret and loneliness. His heart ached every morning and it hurt even more than his physical wounds.  He hated the work he had to do for the gang but he still wanted to go outside that dark cell. He was beginning to miss the sun light and the fresh air of the streets. Kenshin never knew what freedom was, it was taken away from him when he was very little so he learn to appreciate the little things, the moments of peace he had, to contemplate a sunset or to just have some time for himself. He was beginning to miss those little things. He looked at the ceiling again. _"At least there is a ceiling to look at" _

The door opened with a loud noise. Kenshin listen the footsteps approaching him, he gathered all of his strength and slowly arose. He looked at the man in front of him. It was the first boss and this time he was alone. He stood in silence for a moment looking at Kenshin; finally he approached him and hit him hard in the ribs. Kenshin gasped but didn't scream and amazingly didn't fall to the floor. 

"Go to your room" He said and then left the cell leaving the door open.

 Kenshin slowly started to walk out of the dark cell. The light of the corridor outside blinded him for a moment and he closed his eyes waiting for them to adjust to the almost forgotten light. He slowly walked to the end of the corridor and started to make his way up to his room. Every muscle he moved hurt him. His hands were still cuffed together but he knew that the cuffs wouldn't be removed unless the first boss allowed it. On the way to his room he encountered other members of the gang but they didn't talk to him, they just stared at him as he slowly walked. Finally he arrived at his room. He closed the door behind him and inspected it. He missed that place, it was the closest thing to a home he had and he just wanted to return to it. Kenshin slowly walked to the mirror. He wanted to look at himself. What he saw wasn't a pretty sight. His eyes were swollen; his face was bruised and swollen too. His lip was cut and his left cheek was covered in dry blood. He slowly started cleaning his face and when he was finally done he could see the new scar that was in his face. He had a cross scar in his left cheek. He blinked a couple of times as he stared at his reflection. The new marking in his face looked strangely familiar. He ran his fingers through the scar and closed his eyes. He opened them again in less than a second and in that second he kept them shot hundreds of images appeared in his mind but he couldn't remember them. He knew he had seen something but he didn't know what. 

Kenshin was really tiered and decided to get some sleep even if the images would appear again. He lay down in bed and accommodated himself the best he could with his hands still tied. He knew he would be punished for a long time and he was willing to accept it. He knew his life was their property but he also knew that some times he could make a difference and that by doing so he brought peace to his heart. 

*   *   *

Kenshin didn't know his real birth day, that along with all his memories from the past, was lost. Someday the first boss decided that Kenshin was sixteen and he finally got his gun. He was trained in its use and quickly he became a very good shooter. He was really good at fighting and he learned quickly. Kenshin thought that that was the only reason they kept him alive and didn't kill him. Since that time when he got the scar Kenshin was constantly punished because he continuously disobeyed the bosses. He had made a vow to himself never to kill again, no mater what, and he had paid that vow in blood and bruises. He was taken from his room cell in the second floor and was given a small cell with open bars in the first basement. This one didn't even have a bed, only an old mattress that was taken away whenever they pleased. The basement cell didn't have a window and was very cold. The only light was the one of the hall. Kenshin was locked in his room during the night but he could wander freely in the safe house during the day, that was when they didn't discipline him.  He missed the view of the window but he accepted his new sleeping arrangements, one window wasn't enough to make him take a live.  His bosses finally understood that the kid wasn't going to kill anyone so the used him in other type of missions like robbery. 

He had learned to use many weapons but the one he was best at was the sword. No one ever trained him in its use but somehow the kid knew how to handle a katana. In an era where guns and fire arms were the main weapon there was a kid that worked for an unknown gang that preferred the sword. After he learned how to shoot he was forced to take his gun in some missions but he never used it. He hated the gun even if he was good at it. Somehow it didn't feel right. Eventually the bosses allowed him to drop the gun and use a sword only because he was so good at it. He discovered that with the sword he could defend himself without causing much harm. He was given a beautiful Katana that was built in the ancient times, some said it was from the early years of Meiji others said that from the Bakumatsu, it was stolen in one of their missions and they only gave it to him because he was the only one who could use it in the gang.

Kenshin liked the sword; it was really good and very sharp. He could cut all sorts of objects with it but when he was defending himself he flipped the blade or used the handle. He wasn't going to use that blade in another human being. 

It was a dark night and Kenshin was in another one of his missions. He was inside some house and he was guarding the door while the bosses searched for something inside. He was dressed in black but his red hair shined making him really visible. His sword was at his side hidden in a black coat that he was wearing. Suddenly a scream was heard from inside the building and then some gun shots. Kenshin put his hand in his sword as he listened carefully trying to understand what was going on inside. _"Someone is coming" The door was opened from inside as a thin and small man tripped and fell in front of Kenshin. The man had a terrified look on his face. He looked up and met Kenshin's eyes and the boy could read a plead in the older man's eyes.  Kenshin took a deep breath; he looked at the man one more time and then closed the door preventing the members of the gang inside to run after the thin man. The man stayed where he was as he looked at Kenshin with unbelieving eyes. _

"I can't hold them for long so you better run if you want to live another day"

Those words brought the man back to the world and he just did as he was told, he ran as fast as he could. 

The men inside pushed at the door and finally got it open. The first thing they saw was the small figure of Kenshin standing in front of them.

"Where did he go?" Asked one of the men.

Kenshin remained silent. When he let the man go he knew he was going to be held responsible for that and that he would be punished again. He didn't care. The man was safe, if he had stop him some other member of the gang would have kill him and his vow would be broken. 

Kenshin felt strong hands shaking him.

"Did you let him go kid? Did you let another witness live?"

Kenshin didn't say a word but the men needed no other reply. 

"The first boss is gonna have you for this"

Kenshin looked at the moonless night from his window as they drove to the safe house; he was going to enjoy the view, who knew when would he be able to see the stars again?

*   *   *

Kaoru walked quickly through the streets. The night was dark and there was no moon. Everything was closed and there wasn't a soul in sight.  She knew it was dangerous, that she should have waited in her friend's house for someone to pick her up but she had a strange felling in her heart that told her to go home. She was almost running and as she approached her house the felling was getting stronger and stronger. 

Kaoru didn't want to leave her father that afternoon but he had convinced her.

"Kaoru is your seventeen birth day, you already had lunch with me so I think is fair that you go and have fun with your friends"

She smiled and finally decided to leave but she didn't enjoy any time she spent away from her home and finally she ran through the door making up some excuses as she left.

She arrived at her house. The first thing she saw was that all the lights were off and then she saw that the door was open. Her heart started beating faster and faster as she slowly entered the dark place. She walked slowly through the halls leaving the lights off, she was too afraid to turn them on. She arrived at his father room. The door was shut; she stood in front of it for a moment looking at it. Then she slowly reached the handle and opened the door. It was dark but she could see a figure laying on the floor and she recognized it. Her hear stopped as she froze in the door looking at her father. Suddenly the scene was unfrozen and she realized what she was seeing. 

"DADDY!" She screamed as she ran to him and kneeled beside him.

Tears were falling from her eyes as she held her father's lifeless form in her hands. She opened her mouth and was about to scream again when she felt a hand press firmly in her mouth. She tried to get free from it but the person holding her was a lot stronger so she finally surrender and turned her head around to look at him. She didn't recognize that man so she struggled again. 

"What shall we do with this girl? It looks like she is the daughter of the mark" Asked the man holding her.

She stopped struggling when she heard those words. Those were the men that murdered her father and now they were determining her fate. Whether she lived or not was in their hands. 

"Tie her up and bring her, I have plans for her" 

She didn't recognize the voice but she knew that whoever spoke was the boss. Before she could think about it any further the man holding her twisted her arms behind her back and cuffed her wrists. She was blindfolded and a gag was put on her mouth. Kaoru felt new tears streaming down her face as she was pushed into some vehicle and just waited for the ride to finish so she could find out where they where taking her.  

*   *   *

Kaoru was drag through some stair and some halls. Her eyes were still covered so she tripped with every step they took but some strong hands didn't let her fall and pushed her forward. Finally they stopped. Kaoru felt someone taking the gag from her mouth and the cuffs from her wrists. The blindfold was removed and she opened her eyes slowly to find that the place she was in was almost as dark. A dim light illuminated the room and Kaoru could see the three men standing in front of her.

"You might make yourself comfortable" said the one she thought was the boss you are going to be here for a while."

Kaoru looked around her. She was in a small cell with open bars that showed two more cells in front of her, they were empty.  There were two beds with one blanket each and in the back was a very small bathroom. There were no windows and the light was the one of the hall. She didn't reply, she couldn't talk, her whole world was broken in a mater of minutes. She felt new tears falling from her eyes, she looked down at the floor just wanting to wake up and realize that it was all a dream, but it wasn't. 

She felt the boss approaching her but he stopped when he heard someone entering the basement. Kaoru looked up and found the boss talking to some other guy. She couldn't hear what the guy said but she did see the expression in the boss's face change as the words were spoken. 

"Get him down to the solitary!" He ordered the other man "I can't believe he did it again!"

With those words the boss left her cell with the other guys behind him and locking the door.  The walked to the left and disappeared down some stairs. Kaoru wondered what was that all about when suddenly she saw a figure roll down the stairs in the right side of the hall. He hit the floor hard just beside her cell. He was dressed in black and his face was covered by his long red hair. His hands were cuffed behind his back.

The first thing he saw when he hit the floor was the cell bars just beside him. He was being punished again and he was going to the solitary, he knew that. What he didn't expect was seeing a couple of feet inside one of the cells. 

Kaoru could see the man slowly raising his head. He was looking at her making his way up from his feet to her neck and then she finally saw his face. 

Violet eyes. She was lost in his violet eyes and somehow as she dived into them a feeling of comfort and peace filled her soul.

Blue eyes. The most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. They were as deep as the ocean and he found himself smiling at that sight. 

The last thing he saw before he was pushed down another staircase was her smile. 

The spell was broken and Kaoru gasped as she saw that man, that boy, pushed down the left stairs and disappeared from her sight. Her sorrow was replaced for another feeling, she was worried. 

The door in the solitary was closed and Kaoru sat in her bed crying for that man he just met. One floor below Kenshin smiled as another blow hit his body, he didn't know why but he knew his life was about to change. 

*   *   *

A/N: Sad I know. I hope you liked it anyway. Please write and tell me what you think. To all of you thanks for reviewing!!! ^_^x

Individuals:

Fabi-chan: Well you see the girl was just some girl but Kenshin still has a long way to go.

Jason M. Lee: I hope the bloopers at least made you laugh. I hope your doubts about Kenshin and Kaoru were clarified, if not ask me again. About Hiko, I don't think he'll be in this one, I love him but I just don't think he'll fit very well in the story. 

C-Chan: It was nice to meet Eko, she sounds like a nice muse. I'm glad you liked the beginning and I hope you liked this chapter too!!!

Kyaa-Kyaff: Your review was so good!  It made me so happy!!! I'm glad you liked it even if it was angsty, is going to be a little angsty for a while. THANKS FOR PUTTING ME IN YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR LIST!!!!! 

White Plum: Bueno ya se vieron por primera vez, espero que te halla gustado. Voy a dejar la historia solo de Kenshin y Kaoru, creo que el resto del Kenshingumi no cuadra muy bien. Tampoco creí que Tomoe cuadraría, ella esta en el cielo viviendo feliz con Akira no? Si son de la misma edad.  Gracias por tu fantástico review! Eres lo mejor!!!!

moon goddess: I thought of changing their names but that just wouldn't be the same ne?  I hope you liked this chapter, thanx for your review.

Naomi: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING ME IN YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR LIST!!!! Yes I know is sad but it is supposed to be hard, he has to earn his way to heaven. Things didn't get better for them in this chapter… sorry. Yes they are going to remember things but its going to be a confusing and dark road. Well I hope you liked this chapter, talk to you latter!

Chiki: I'm glad you liked it! I'm glad you liked the angst because there is going to be more of it. About Kenshin and hell, that is something you'll have to read to find out. I hope you liked this chapter too and thanx for your wonderful review. 

Red Ninja: Thanks for your review. I hope you liked this chapter too!! I'll try to have more cuteness for you.

Sakura Alex: Me alegra saber que leíste mi otra historia y que te gusto. Yo solo se si le gusta a la gente por los reviews así que te agradezco que te hallas tomado el tiempo de dejarme un comentario. Gracias por decir que tengo una gran imaginación, es una batalla diaria mantenerla viva. Que bueno que mi fic te gustó, eso me hace feliz. QUE VIVA LATINOAMÉRICA!!! Yo solo conozco Cancún en Mexico, es muy lindo, me gustaría conocer más… algún día…  Espero saber más de ti pronto y de nuevo gracias por tu review!!!!

Sabrina-star: Que bueno que te guste la segunda parte!!!  Lo de la promesa lo use en éste capítulo, ellos recuerdan su pasado así no se den cuenta de que lo hacen. Espero que te haya gustado el primer encuentro entre Kenshin y Kaoru. Lamento haberme demorado tanto en el capítulo, la verdad no tengo excusa. :( Gracias por tus comentarios!!

Fuuko-san: I'm glad you like this store too!!! It's always nice to know that you can make someone smile! Thanks

Skipper: Yes I know is sad but I hope you liked it anyway!

star-chan: I'm so glad you like the sequel too, thanks a lot! The story is going to be angsty I just think it makes the characters more interesting. I hope you'll like it anyway. Don't worry, there was no confusion. Thanks for your nice reviews!

Gypsy-chan: I'm so glad you like this fic!!!! Well Kaoru is there and that doesn't mean that the story is going to be short. I hope the time question was answered. I don't know if a reincarnation fic is supposed to be A/U, I'll let you be the judge of it. It's nice to know you read Heavenly Lost too; I was surprised to see your review. Thanks for reviewing.  

Joey: Yes I missed you but id you missed me? I'm sorry, I know I can be cruel sometimes but I say it wouldn't be easy. Please put that shinai again I'm sorry! I'm making K&K the same age in this fic (17); they did arrive in earth at the same time. I'm so glad you like this, I'm so happy!!!  Sorry if I made you wait to long. *Misanagi hugs Joey and steal his shinai* Thanks for your great review!!!

kwaii sakura-chan:   I'm glad you liked the start. Kenshin has killed before but he promised himself never to kill again. Thanks for your review!!!

Kriska: Well I'm glad you liked Heavenly Lost and that you are enjoying this one as well. Thanks for finally leaving a review and letting me know that you read it and liked it! I hope you'll like this one too.

Kaoru Himura!: I'm so glad you like this one too!!! Yes it's set in modern times but I don't have a year, sorry. I hope you liked this chapter too and thanx for your nice review!!!

*** THANKS TO: FLeeCe, SakuraCherryBlossom, Laie Himura de Fanel and Neoblade26 for putting me in your favorite author list! And to everyone that reviewed!!!


	4. Chapter III: The Light that Breaks the S...

A/N: Sorry this update took so long. I went away to a small colonial village near my home city to celebrate new years, witch reminds me…. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Hope you'll like this chapter too and please review and tell me what you think.

Chapter III

The Light that Breaks the Shadow

He was asleep. He had his eyes shot and his cuffed hands beneath his head. The floor was cold but he couldn't feel it or didn't care. His body was covered on bruises and cuts and he was dirty with blood. But he was asleep and for the first time he could have a peaceful sleep in the solitary. His bosses were long gone and Kenshin was just lying there, dreaming, resting. 

He didn't know were he was, he couldn't recognize the place, the only think he knew was that it was dark. It was like he was submerged in a world of black and gray that moved around him like water and encircled him. He wasn't afraid, he just felt lost. He kept using his violet eyes to look around him, trying to see something, he didn't knew what he was looking for but he knew he would recognize it the minute he saw it. 

He moved his hand forward and realized he still had his usual color. He moved the hand in front of his eyes for a few moments, he watched his fingers turned from side to side and moved playfully in front of him. He wasn't aware exactly when his hand stopped being controlled by him to be manipulated by someone or something else. Now he could only watched his hand as it moved swiftly from side to side like it was holding something but he didn't knew what it was. His left hand quickly joined the right one in its movements and soon his arms shoulders and chest were out of his control. His body was reacting to something beyond his conscience but the movement felt so natural so comfortable. Kenshin felt like his body knew what to do better than him. The black and gray shadows kept encircling him and Kenshin noticed them once more. He was still trying to find something. His body moved before his mind could react. His legs were moving so rapidly and he was running so fast. He didn't know were his body was driven him, he only knew somehow that it was leading him to the right place. The shadows never stopped moving around him and he kept looking at them trying to find…

Suddenly he stopped. His body stayed still as he used his beautiful violet eyes to look around and then he se it. It was just in front of it. The shadows almost covered it completely but he could still see the small and sparkling sapphire shinning beneath them. He was enchanted by it, his eyes were fixated in the shiny figure and then he caught a glimpse of something amazing. Just next to the first one there was another sapphire shining just as brightly as the other one. Then he realized that that was what he was looking for, the thing he needed. He kept staring at those blue spots when he realized the deepness of them. His eyes widened when he realized the sapphire were so deep because they were the shining eyes of a woman that was laying beneath the shadows. A familiar feeling overtook him as he stared at the now clear figure of a woman covered in black and gray. The woman wasn't in any pain, he could see that. She was trapped. The shadows were hiding her soul and the only remains of it that were shown were those beautiful eyes filled with hope. 

Kenshin opened his beautiful eyes to see the darkness of the cell again. He twitched in pain from the slap that had woken him up. He waited for his eyes to focus the person in front of him. It was the first boss. He slowly incorporated and stood before him expecting whatever that was about to come but with a strange feeling in his heart that he had left something unconcluded.

He felt a hand touch his cheek slightly and then he heard his voice.

"Three years ago I put that scar on your face so you could remember never to disobey me again. But yet you made the same mistake again. Believe me that if you weren't as useful as you are you would be death." The first boss stopped and looked at the red headed youth in front of him. He then punched him in the face and then walked out the door. "Take him to his cell," He said to the two guys in front of him "and cuff him to the bars"

Kenshin didn't have time to get up by himself; he was picked up by strong arms that dragged him out of the solitary cell. He sighted as he felt he had forgotten something that was very important.

***

Kaoru was laying on her bead staring at the ceiling. That was the only thing she did.She had been in that cell for a week and she still didn't know what she was doing there. She spent her days thinking about his father and making herself a million questions that didn't have an answer, at last not yet. Who were those guys? Where was she? Why was she there? Why did they kill her father?What were they going to do with her? Why nobody spoke to her? She sighted and closed her eyes for a moment. Since the day the boss spoke to her nobody talked to her. Some guy came with food three times a day and left, he never spoke a word. Sometimes she could see men walking in the corridor in front of her cell and disappearing down the stairs, but they ignored her too. She kept wondering where did that staircase led to. She could always see the men going down and then returning, nobody stayed down there, no body but that guy. She remembered him his red head and his violet eyes. There was something in his eyes that kept her thinking about him. Every time she heard footsteps from beneath she looked at the staircase with hopeful eyes hoping to see him come up but it hadn't happen yet.

She felt weird every time he thought about him. She was confused; she had lost her father only a few days ago, the person that meant the most to her. She felt empty and lost, she was taken to that place and her mind didn't react, she was waiting for the dream to stop, that couldn't be real. But then that guy came in, with his red hair and violet eyes, and something in her heart woke her up and she didn't felt empty anymore. 

She heard a noise coming from downstairs so she lifted her head to see who was coming up. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was. Two men were dragging the red headed guy. One of them approached the cell across from her and unlocked it, then they threw the boy inside and then one of them grabbed a key from his pocket and unlocked the handcuffs in the boys' wrists. Kaoru thought for a moment that they were leaving but only moments latter they put the boys' hands around one of the bars of the cell and cuff them again, then they left locking the door behind them.

Kaoru rushed out of bed and kneeled in front of the bars of her own cell just across from the boy. She was looking at him with concerned eyes. The boy was badly hurt. She couldn't see him properly since his head was down and his red hair cove his face but she knew just by watching him breathe that he was hurt and in pain. She didn't know who he was or what was his relation with the men that capture her, but no person deserved to be treated like that. The boy was hurt and all they could do was cuff him to the bars, she couldn't begin to imagine how uncomfortable that was. She didn't believe that the guy was in any condition of escaping, if that was what they were afraid of. Her thoughts were stopped when she saw him moving. The red headed slowly began to rise his head and then she was lost once again in the beautiful violet of his eyes.

She could see him looking at her deeply in her eyes as if he was remembering something, then a small smile appeared in his face.

"Are you ok?" Kaoru asked not knowing what else to say.

Kenshin remained silent for a moment just looking at her. He saw the concern in her eyes along with the sadness.

"Yes" He finally answered smiling softly at her. 

She could tell he was lying. She saw in his eyes that he was only saying that so she wouldn't be worried… but why? Why would a total stranger worry about her?

"Why are you lying?" She asked without even thinking the words before saying them. 

Kenshin was surprised. How did she know he was lying? And why did he lie in the first place? He didn't know the girl in front of him, he remembered he saw her when they threw him in the second basement but that was it. However he had a strange emotion that made him feel comfortable around her, like he already knew her, and the last thing he wanted was that pure and beautiful girl in front of him worrying about him, he wasn't worthy of that. 

"I didn't want you to worry about me" He answered truly.

"But you are hurt!" Kaoru said not believing how he could act like he was more concerned about her than himself.

"It's not the first time and it's not that bad, I had worst"

Kaoru gasped at his words and Kenshin immediately regretted speaking them. She looked at his eyes and saw that this time he was telling the truth. She looked at the person in front of her and wondered just how much suffering he had had in his life. He acted like he was resigned to that life, like he didn't know or expect anything better. Kaoru felt a warm tear slid down her cheek. Kenshin saw it and cursed himself mentally for talking too much. That girl didn't need to hear about his life, she didn't deserve to hear anything sad.

"I'm sorry" Said Kenshin as he looked at the floor turning his eyes away from her. "I didn't mean to make you cry"

Kaoru wiped the tear from her face as she silently looked at the boy in front of her.

"There is nothing to apologize about" She said wishing he would look at her again. "It's not your fault"

Kenshin slowly raised his head and focus his eyes on the beautiful woman in front of him. She smiled softly at him and he instantly felt better. 

"Somebody should take care of your wounds" she said.

"I'll do it myself"

"But your hands are cuffed!"

"I'll just have to wait until the first boss decides that my punishment is over and let me go"

"The first boss?" Asked Kaoru trying to understand what Kenshin was trying to tell her.

"He is the one on charge of the whole gang, everyone has to obey him"

"Do you know him?" Asked Kaoru as she realized she didn't know the man in front of her, she didn't even know his name.

"Yes"

"How long have you been here?"

"Since I can remember. I only have one memory previous to this place." Kaoru could see the change in Kenshin's eyes as he recalled that memory, she thought it most have been a painful memory.

"Do you live here?" She asked with a weird tone in her voice. 

Kenshin looked at her for a moment before answering.

"I don't know what are you here for" He said looking at Kaoru "I've seen many prisoners in these cells but all of them eventually leave. I haven't, I live here and I always have.The people that brought you here are part of a gang and I work for them" Kenshin lowered his eyes not daring to face Kaoru. "I'm sorry"

Kaoru looked at him. She couldn't believe what he was hearing, there had to be an explanation, that boy in front of her couldn't be one of the people that killed her father, it just wasn't possible. She had seen how the members of the gang treated him and she was seeing his injured body. He was in a cell just in front of her, bruised and with his hands cuffed to the bars making him even more uncomfortable. That was not a gang member, it couldn't be, then why would he be in that situation.

"Then why are you in a cell? She asked in a soft voice.

"I'm been punished" He said without taking his eyes from the floor. 

"For what"

"I disobey their orders and endangered a mission"

"What did you do?" Kaoru asked in the same whispering voice.

"I let a witness escape."

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked even if in her heart she knew the answer, she wanted to hear it from him.

"I didn't killed him as I was supposed to" 

Kaoru looked at him silently before speaking. She was right.

"What's your name?"

Kenshin slowly looked at her again. The beautiful girl in front of him was smiling. How could she? She knew he wasn't an innocent person, she knew he was part of that gang that capture her, an enemy, and she still smiled at him and even wanted to know his name.

"Kenshin" He answered in a whisper.

"Kenshin" She said the name as if she was tasting it, hearing the syllables been pronounced by her voice.There was something familiar in that name and the way it sounded when it was spoken by her, they both knew that. "I wanted to tell you Kenshin that you are not a member of this gang. You are the oldest captive they have." 

***

A/N: I hope you liked it. Thanks a lot for all your reviews you guys really make me happy with all your comments so please keep them coming. ^_^x 

Thanks to:

Fuuko-san: You make me blush with your review, you are so nice and you really know how to encourage some one so thanx a lot. You don't know how happy I get when I get a response like yours to a story!

Skipper: Thanks for your suggestion, I'll keep it in mind for next time. I hope you liked this chapter!

star-chan: I'm glad you loved the chapter even if its sad. Thanks for a wonderful and encouraging review!!!!

Kriska: Happy Holydays to you too. I hope I didn't take to long to update and if I did that you'll forgive me. Thanks for your nice review and I hope you liked this chapter.

Joey: You have to love the internet!! You get to know persons and not males or females. Why would I be disappointed in you being a girl! The truth is that you surprised me but it wasn't a bad surprise. *Misanagi throws the shinai and gets herself another katana to block the killer blow Joey sent her* I'm sorry I didn't update early but it was new years and I was gone and… *Misanagi still fights with Joey since she doesn't believe her*

Chiki: I'm glad you love this Kenshin since I love him too!!!! Thanks for your complements, you are so nice *blushes*. I also wish you a great holyday!!!!! You didn't review late, what are you talking about? And for reviews like yours I don't mind waiting. Thanks a lot!!!!!

White Plum: Tu pregunta será ampliamente respondida en el siguiente capítulo pero por el momento te puedo decir que yo nunca le haría algo demasiado terrible a Kaoru. No eres la única que ama a Kenshin, yo creo que describiste bien en tu fic lo de el club de admiradoras que andan detrás de él, yo sin duda sería una de ellas. Te deseo también una feliz navidad y un feliz año! Gracias por tu review!! PS: Recibiste mi mail?

Grace Ann: Thanks for your review and I'm glad you like the story! Hope you liked this chapter too and I'm looking forward to hear from you again. 

Laie Himura de Fanel: Entiendo español porque soy orgullosamente Colombiana, pero escribo en ingles porque así más gente puede leer mis fics. Me encanta cuando más gente de habla hispana me pone reviews, no se si a ti te pase pero me siento en familia!!! Gracias por el review y me encanta que te esté gustando la historia!!! PS: ¿De dónde eres?

Kaoru Himura!: The guy that Kenshin saved was just some guy. Those were two separated missions. Remember I said that they no longer took Kenshin in the assassination missions because he didn't kill so he used him for stealing and things like that. Merry Christmas to you too! I'm glad you liked the chapter even if it was sad, thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter too!

moonblossom: Don't worry about the late review! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I also hope you liked this one too.

omochi:Yes I know, poor Kenshin… I'm sorry I didn't update sooner but I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.

C-Chan & Eko: I know it was sad but I'm glad you think it has potential. Thanks for the great review and I hope you two don't fight like that all the time. I also hope you liked this chapter and weren't disappointed.

moon goddess: Yes poor Kenshin… How did you know about the sword? You'll still have to wait a few chapters to find out anyway. I'm glad you liked tha chapter and thanks a lot for the review!!!

Naomi: I hope you liked this chapter. Broken Pieces uh? I haven't think about it… but there are crucial differences and we can talk about it in MSN, anyway I'm flattered, that story is so good! I think your question is answered in this chapter ne? Anyway Kaoru and Kenshin are meant to be together, they wouldn't fight for something like that, leave that to Hollywood. Thanks for your review and talk to you latter!

Vesca: *Misanagi hides behind her computer* Well maybe I'm in a Kenshin torture bend but I just couldn't resist the idea, he is just so sexy when he acts strong!!! This chapter wasn't that happy but it was at least happier than the last one. I hope you liked it anyway. Thanks for your review!

The *Spangled* Pandemonium: Thanks for all your reviews!!! You are so nice!!!! I know it's angsty but I think it gives the story a lot. I hope you liked it anyway and that you liked this chapter too. Once again thanks for reviewing every chapter, that's so cool!!!!

Jason M. Lee: Yes, I know, poor Kenshin, but don't worry, the choice is coming. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Sabrina-star: Yo se, pobre Kenshin…. Kenshin y Kaoru tuvieron un encuentro más largo en este capítulo aunque no se hayan reído. Espero que te haya gustado de todos modos. Gracias por tu review!!!

Lady Night: Thanks so much for your review!!!! You are so nice to me! I don't know if I deserve it *blushes* I'm glad you liked "Heavenly Lost" and this one too. Thanks a lot for your review (again) it makes me so happy!!!!!

Kary: Muchas gracias por tu review!!!! Me encanta que te guste la historia y me hace muy feliz!!! Yo se… pobre Kenshin y pobre Kaoru… Y yo también lo amo es que es taaaaaaaaaan lindo o no? Espero que te haya gustado también éste capítulo.MUCHÍSIMAS GRACIAS POR PONERME EN TU LISTA DE ATORES FAVORITOS!!!!! No sabes lo feliz que eso me hace, Gracias!

Claudia (I think that's your name)[siegfried.lackner@utanet.at][1]: I'm so glad you like my fics and that you e-mailed me. That makes me so happy!! I hope your mom doesn't kill you. No need to excuse yourself about your English. Thanks again for your mail and I hope you liked this chapter too. 

^_^x

   [1]: mailto:siegfried.lackner@utanet.at



	5. Chapter IV: Amber

A/N: Well I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here is another one. Thanks to everyone that reviewed. Sorry for taking so long… Hey if anyone wants to contact me, chat with me or something just look for me in MSN, my mail is vivi_t22@hotmail.com  Enjoy!

Chapter IV

Amber

Kenshin blinked a couple of times. A captive… he had never thought of himself as such, he always thought he was just working for them, living there. The girl in front of him, she was a captive, she had know freedom but he had forgotten it so long ago… How could he miss something he didn't even remember?

He looked up at her again and saw the tenderness in her eyes and understood that she meant every word she said. Kenshin managed to put a soft smile on his face, for the first time someone was nice to him, he had never heard anyone talk to him that way and yet that girl, who should hate him, was being so good to him.

"Why?" He asked in a whisper. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You are hurt and you don't deserve to be this way…"

"Thank you" Answered Kenshin as he looked at her.

They couldn't talk much more since the first boss came in the room followed by some other people. He walked slowly and stopped for just a moment to look at the sight in front of him. The girl he had kidnapped earlier was in the floor leaning close to the cell were Kenshin was cuffed to the bars. He took a moment to look at the young boy. He was really injured but as Kenshin himself had said he had worst so there was no need to release him just yet. 

When Kaoru noticed the man approaching she stood up and looked at him. She didn't know what to think, she had no idea why was she being held there or what the man wanted with her. Kenshin raised his head to look at the first boss, he would have stood up if it wasn't for his lack of strength or the fact that the cuffs wouldn't allow him. 

"So are you two getting to know each other?" The first boss asked as he stepped closer to Kaoru's cell. 

"You shouldn't keep him there in that state, he needs medical attention!" Kaoru said with a firm tone she was even surprised off.

"Well so the little girl is worried about the little boy" The firs boss answered as he approached Kenshin's cell. He looked at the boy inside it and the violet eyes that looked back at him. He grabbed Kenshin's hair and forced him to raise his head even higher. "Did he tell you that he is no innocent? Did he tell you that he is a part of this gang and that he is only there because he is being punished?"

"Yes he did!" Said Kaoru as she looked at Kenshin with worried eyes, the man was hurting him again "and he also told me why was he being punished for"

"He did didn't he? Well that was really brave of Ken-chan"

"You should really let someone take care of his injuries or at least uncuff him so he can do it himself!"

"I can not do that. He was a really bad boy and he knows very well that there are consequences for his actions. He'll have to learn to obey me and the only way to do that is to punish him when he does something wrong"

"But you are killing him!" Said Kaoru as she kept her eyes on Kenshin who was still being hurt by the first boss.

"Who Kenshin?" The man said as he chuckled a little "Kenshin spends most of his time being punished; I think he is used to it by now!"

"But his wounds may get infected and then you'll have to take care of him if you want to use him again!" Kaoru was just trying the last approached she could think of, maybe this way the first boss would help Kenshin. The first boss just looked at her in silence for a few moments and then he let Kenshin's hair go.

"Open the cells" He ordered to his men as he walked into Kaoru's cell. He approached her and stood just a few centimeters away from her. He used his hand to raise her head and made her look at him. Kaoru blinked a couple of times but didn't turn away, she just kept staring at him. He then grabbed her hard and pushed her into Kenshin's cell closing the door behind her. 

"Since you seem to be so worried about this baka" said the first boss as he kept looking at her "you can take care of his wounds, but he is still being punished so I won't uncuff him just yet. Have fun!" Said the first boss as he walked upstairs.

"Bring her some supplies" He said as he left.

As soon as the men were out of sight Kaoru ran to Kenshin and kneeled beside him.

"Are you all right?" she asked as she kept looking at him, his red hair covering his face. 

He raised his head again and looked straight at her with a soft expression in his face. 

"Thank you" He said without taking his eyes of her. Just then when they were close enough she could really see his face and something in it caught her attention. He had a cross scar on his left cheek. She looked at it for a moment, she was fascinated with it but she didn't even know why. She had the strange feeling that she had seen it before and she somehow couldn't imagine that face without it. That scar, it was sad somehow, she knew that, but she also knew that there was something deeper about it, some kind of teaching, a making to a new life. Without even noticing it she slowly moved her hand towards it and a moment latter she was softly touching it, running her fingers gently to it. She kept looking at him and she kept looking at him, but in that moment a bound was made, something that wasn't new to any of them, something that felt natural and right.

"It was a long time ago" Kenshin said finally after Kaoru took her hand of him. "But it still reminds me of the vow I made that day."

"What was it?" Asked Kaoru only because it was the right question to asked but somehow she already knew the answer. 

"I vowed never to kill again no matter what"

_Never to kill again, never to kill again those words echoed in Kaoru's head, she had heard them before and that voice just sounded so familiar saying them. She closed her eyes and in a matter of seconds hundreds of images rushed to her mind. When she opened her eyes she couldn't remember them but she had seen them anyway. _

"I already told you mi name" said Kenshin when he realized he didn't know the name of the angel beside him. "But what is yours"

"My name is Kaoru"

Kaoru, that sounded just right, that name was perfect for her. He didn't know much about her but he could tell that that name fit her just perfectly. Kaoru, his angel's name was Kaoru.

*   *   *

It was another uneasy night for him. Kaoru had cleaned his wounds and almost cried in the process but he was still cuffed to the bars and that was just too uncomfortable. His whole body ached for the awkward position and his wrist hurt so much that he could even fell the blood in his arms. He was glad she hadn't noticed that, she was just so upset about the other wounds that he didn't know what she would have done if she had paid closer attention to his wrist. He opened his eyes and looked at the mattress where she laid sleeping peacefully. He took a deep breath as he contemplated her beautiful form in the dark. Just looking at her made him feel comfortable and warm. Soon his pain was gone or he just forgot about it and he fell into a peaceful sleep with her name on his lips. 

*    *   *

He didn't know exactly what woke him up. It was like a sixth sense that alert him that something wasn't right, that something wrong was about to happen and it did.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was still resting in his mattress unaware of anything outside her dream word. Then he heard the steps going down the stairs. He could tell just by the sound that two men were on their way down. He incorporated the best he could but the cuffs didn't let him stand. The lights remained off but he could see the men in the corridor walking to his cell. He recognized them immediately, they were members off the gang and he could sense they didn't have good intentions. 

He heard them unlocking the cell and coming in. He kept his eyes in them but he could also see Kaoru still sleeping peacefully. He watched as the men locked the door behind them and one of them put the keys in his pocket. Kenshin was waiting for the blow to come and the pain to start again. It wouldn't be the first time, the men in the gang enjoyed hitting him so the used every chance they had to do so, and what better moment that when he was cuffed to the bars of a cell completely vulnerable and unable to defend himself. He just hoped that Kaoru wouldn't wake up, he didn't want her to see, he knew it would cause her a lot of pain and he didn't want that. 

Kenshin widened his eyes as the men walked away from him and closer to the mattress where Kaoru laid. A realization hit him, they weren't there for him, they were there for her. No, that couldn't be happening, not to that angel in front of him!

He watched as one of the men approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. Kaoru woke up and open her mouth to scream when she saw the man so close to her. The man was faster and he put a hand in her mouth to prevent any sound to be heard. 

"Just relax sweetie" He said as he leaned closer "I promise you this wont hurt, you may even enjoy it!" He was about to continue when he heard a sharp voice he had never heard before, a voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck raise. 

"Remove your hand from her now or I'll kill you!"

The men and Kaoru turned to look for the owner of the voice and they were astonished to find out that it belonged to Kenshin. They looked at the boy, something was different about him, they could sense it. Kaoru looked at him without knowing what to think. She noticed that his eyes had changed color, they weren't the gentle violet they had been before, they were a deep shade of amber. Those eyes could strike fear into any soul, she knew that, but she also knew that he wouldn't hurt her, no matter what, she wasn't afraid of him. The men on the contrary were very afraid. The knew Kenshin was one of the best fighters of the gang despise his looks but he was always so docile, so gentle. The person in front of them wasn't like that at all, they could see the seriousness of his words and the deep meaning behind them. They had threatened something precious to him and he wouldn't allow anything to happen. Yes, the person in front of them was dangerous, but he was also cuffed to the bars, there was nothing he could do then and there so the men decided to ignore him, it had been a long time since a pretty girl like that came into their safe house and they wouldn't throw the opportunity away. 

A few moments latter the men were again putting their hands on Kaoru's soft skin and they were so distracted by it that they missed seeing Kenshin pulling hard at his cuffs and finally breaking them. It was a matter of seconds, that was all he needed to leave the men unconscious on the floor and without even using a weapon. 

Kaoru was breathing hard she finally realized what had just happened and looked up at Kenshin and found herself staring back at the usual violet eyes. Whatever had happened to him was over now.

"Are you all right?" He asked

"Yes" She answered on a trembling voice "Thank you"

Kenshin only nodded and then walked to one of the men and got the keys out of his pocket, then he opened the cell and walked back to the mattress to help Kaoru get up.  

"Come on" He said as he took her hand in his "I'll help you get out of here"

"What?" Kaoru asked as she stopped walking and stared at Kenshin.

"You can go now, I'm sure there'll be people outside that can help you"

"You mean you are not going?"

Kenshin looked at her for a moment "This is my place" He said finally.

"No it is not! You can't stay here! Who knows what they'll do to you once they found that you help me escape!"

"I've been punished before"

"No!" Screamed Kaoru irritated "I'm not leaving without you!"

"Shh, they may hear us"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Kaoru repeated in a softer tone of voice.

Kenshin looked at her, he could see the determination in her voice and that nothing that he could do or say would change her mind. Maybe it was time for him to try a new life, to get away from that place, to learn to be free again.

"Ok, let's go"

*    *    *

A/N: So that's it, I hope you liked it, please don't forget to review and tell me what you think about it! 

Individuals:

omochi: I used what you said in your review to convince the first boss to let Kaoru take care of Kenshin's injuries. Their new life has to be hard, they had to earn their way to heaven. I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for reviewing!

star-chan: You are always so sweet in your reviews, thanks a lot! I hope you liked this chapter too. Hope to hear from you again soon.

Val: Thanks for your review! I hadn't hear from you in a long time, it's nice to know you are reading the sequel as well and that you like it!

Kriska: I hope you liked the chapter. What the gang want with Kaoru would be revealed in latter chapters (sorry). Kenshin and Kaoru are together but that doesn't mean that they'll live haply ever after… Thanks for your review, hope to hear from you again.

Grace Ann (Ann-dono):  Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you too.  Thanks for your review and I hope you liked this chapter too. Please write and tell me what you think.

Naomi: Kaoru is sweet isn't she? As I promised the chapter is up today! I really don't know where do I get the ideas from, I just start typing and see where the story goes. I hope you liked this chapter too and as always thanks for reviewing!

Joey: I'm glad you liked the chapter!!! Kaoru is always special and I believe she can really look into the soul of Kenshin and off course I understand what you mean! Kenshin already decided that he wouldn't kill again so the boss used him in other jobs but he still is a very important member of the gang since he is such a good fighter. Thanks for reviewing *hugs Joey!*

Jason M. Lee: Well they are getting out aren't they? But they still have to leave the building… Thanks for reviewing, hope you liked this chapter too!

Skipper: I know they are sweet! I just love when they are like that, don't you? How did you guess that they were going to escape? I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too!

Shuno No Miko: I'm glad you liked the update and I hope you liked this chapter too! They are remembering their pass life little by little, I don't want them to remember it all at once, it wouldn't be fun! Thanks for reviewing!

Kaoru Himura!: Me encanta que te halla gustado el capitulo! Eres la primera persona que se queja porque un capítulo es largo, normalmente se quejan por lo corto, pero es verdad el capítulo anterior fue más largo que los demás y este también. A propósito, de donde eres? K&K ya están recordando ciertos aspectos de su vida pero como le dije a Shuno No Miko quiero hacerlo despacio… Gracias por tus comentarios!

Sabrina-star: Que bueno que la última parte te puso alegre, espero que esta también te halla gustado. Es divertido que me pidas capítulos más largos ya que Kaoru Himura! Se estaba quejando porque el pasado fue muy largo. Éste estuvo más largo que los demás también. La verdad es que yo planeo en mi cabeza lo que va a pasar y cuando escribo llega un momento en que el cerebro me dice que pare y deje el capítulo ahí y es así como determino que tan largos son, lo hago al momento de escribir. Gracias por tu review!

White Rose: Thanks for your reviews, the three of them!!!! I'm so glad you liked my stories and that you told me. I only know people are reading because they review, not for anything else… Thanks a lot and I hope to keep hearing from you.

Me me me and only me: Thanks for reviewing hope you liked the update!!!

The *Spangled* Pandemonium: We all feel the need sometimes just to reach into the computer or the TV to hug Kenshin, he is just so great!!!! I hope your keyboard still works since you cried on top of it. I accidentally dropped some coke in my best friend's keyboard and now I have pay for it since it's broken… Anyway thanks a lot for your review, is very encouraging!

Chiki: Don't worry I won't stop writing this fic, I love it too much! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too! Your reviews are always so good and I hope you and ff.net aren't fighting any more!

C-Chan & Eko: I'm glad you like the story so far… it's so good to know! I hope you liked this chapter too and Happy new years to you too! Tell Eko that sometimes I enjoy the violence too, I just couldn't resist the thought of a beat up Kenshin…. *blushes* Well anyway thanks for your review!!!

Shizuka: I'm glad you are liking this fic and don't worry about the reviews, it's nice to know people are reading it. I'm glad you like Heavenly Lost too!!!! Yes I know poor Kenshin…   I hope you liked this chapter too and to hear from you again! Thanks for reviewing!

Yume Kuroi: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you milked this one too!

Thanks for reviewing! *Misanagi sees Yume Kuroi's ghost coming into her room* So I guess you are really death but at least I hope you found some good stories to read. Now would you please get out of my room! I promise I'll write the next chapter soon! Thanks for putting this story and Heavenly Lost in your favorite story list and thanks for putting me on your favorite author list!!! That makes me so happy!!!!

Kyaa-Kyaff: Thanks for your reviews but I have to say that he is not your Kenshin, he is MINE!!!  Ok ok we'll share, but just because I like you a lot and you always review! Yes is nice when you finish a chapter and you know there is another one waiting for you!  Hope you liked this chapter anyway and I hope to hear from you again soon!

Michiru: Thanks for putting me in your favorite author list!

^_^x


	6. Chapter V: A Bright Memory

A/N: Well here goes another chapter; I really hope you'll like it. I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter but I started classes again and I needed a little time to get used to it.

Is anyone interested in receiving an update whenever a new chapter is posted? Gypsy-chan gave me the idea so if you want to please tell me your e-mail address in a review.Hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

Chapter V

A Bright Memory

It was dark but Kenshin knew the safe house like no one else. He knew what was in each floor, the holes in the roof, the spots where the wooden floor cracked, the secret places where the weapons were hidden and everything else that there was to know about the place. He took a hold of Kaoru's hand and gently led her through the passages of the building. She remained quiet as she carefully walked behind him. Her heart was beating fast but she wasn't scared, the touch of his hand told her that there was no need to be scared; he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Kenshin stood for a moment in the top of the stairs and looked back. He was leaving that place finally and he was taking with him only the clothes he was wearing. He had some books but he had already read them, he didn't have many clothes so he didn't think it was necessary to get them, he had only one more thing and he would really miss it. His sword, that sword that he used when he got out in a mission. Of course it wasn't really his; he wasn't allowed to keep it with him, it was kept in the weapon storage and he could only use it for mission or sometimes for training. When he was first given the sword Kenshin knew that he would never get any good if he didn't practice and the gang didn't let him practice a lot. Whenever it was possible he sneaked into the weapon storage room, picked the lock and got it out to practice. He loved to practice his sword skills and he had a natural talent for it. He taught himself almost everything and even invented some moves. His sword was his friend for the long time he stayed at the safe house and now he was finally leaving it but didn't want to leave it behind. 

"Why did you stop?" Asked Kaoru bringing Kenshin back to reality.

"My sword…" He said and then lowered his eyes. 

"Why don't you go and get it?"

"I can't, the storage room is upstairs and if I go up at least two men standing guard would see me and they'll make some noise and then they'll know we are leaving"

"You'll get another one some day… a better one" She said smiling. Kenshin smiled back, she was right, he was leaving that place and after that everything was possible.

They started walking again and finally they reached the back door and Kenshin just stood there looking at it for a moment. 

"What's wrong?" Asked Kaoru in a soft whisper.

Kenshin didn't answer but he looked her with confident eyes and she knew there was nothing to worry about. He slowly let go of her hand and got closer to her so she could hear him.

"Wait here, I'll be right back"

Kaoru just nodded and stay where she was. She looked at Kenshin walking through the dark and then she heard the back door opened. Then an almost imperceptible sound reached her ears, she stood quiet waiting to hear something else, she hesitantly took a step and then her hand was grabbed by some one. She was about to scream but a hand was placed in her mouth before she could let out a sound. She started shivering but then the person holding her slowly made her look up. She put a smile on her face and the hand was taken from her mouth when she saw the violet eyes looking at her. 

"Come on" He said and then he held her hand and led her to the exit. 

The door was open and she could see the stars shinning on a beautiful cloudless night. She was so amazed by the sight greeting her that she missed to see something in the floor blocking her way out and she tripped. She felt his strong arms caching her before she could fall.

"Are you hurt?" 

She gave him a soft smile as an answer and he helped her get up. She looked down to see that she had tripped with a body that was laying on the floor. She looked at it for a moment and then she felt Kenshin's hand in her shoulder.

"He is not dead, I don't do that anymore"

She just nodded and took his hand again.

"I know" 

They walked out of the safe house and into the dark streets of the city. They kept walking without really knowing where to go, but one thing was for sure, they needed to get as far away as possible from the safe house as they could. 

"Where are we going?" Asked Kaoru as she hugged herself trying to get warm.

"I don't know" Answer Kenshin truthfully. "I only left the safe house to go to missions; I don't know where to go"

"If you want" Said Kaoru "We can go to my house"

"I'm afraid that isn't possible, when they realize you are gone that is going to be the first place they'll look"

Kaoru lowered her eyes, Kenshin was right; she could never go back to her house, not after everything that had happened.

They kept walking slowly putting as much distance as possible between them and the safe house. Kenshin didn't know where to go, he was just walking through the streets without knowing where he was headed. He wasn't afraid, he knew that whatever happened he could take care of himself. He was finally away from the gang and now he felt free. He didn't care about the hardships he'll have to face, he knew that he had no money, no food, no place to sleep, nothing. He was ready to endure it but he was with Kaoru and he wouldn't let her go through that too. She was just a girl taken from her home. She had told Kenshin about her father's murder and how she ended in the cell in front of his. She surely had some friends that would take care of her, she couldn't stay with him, he needed to go. 

Kaoru was shivering, the night was cold and she was only wearing the light sweater she had on the day she was kidnapped. Kenshin stopped walking when he noticed and only looked at her for a few moments. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a black shirt and a black jacket. He slowly took the jacket off and put it on her. She was about to give it back to him but he stopped her with a sudden hand movement of his hand.

"In the next block I saw a police station" He said never taking his eyes away from her blue ones "Go inside and ask to see an inspector and when you do tell him what happen, tell him you were kidnapped and they'll take care of you."

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Kaoru "What you mean is that they'll take care of us"

"I'm sorry Kaoru but I can't go with you. I'm a criminal, if I go into that police station I'll be arrested. I have to leave"

"No you won't, you saved me, I'll tell them that…"

"I'm sorry" He said as he put his arms around her "Sayonara"

Kaoru felt a tear roll down her cheek as she returned the embrace. She felt her heart being broken. She didn't know why. She was holding a person she had known for so little time but the simple thought of letting him go was so painful. She looked at the black sky in front of her and suddenly something caught her eye. There in the middle of the city a sparkle flew near them and she saw it was a single firefly. It flew right to them, it was so close and Kaoru was looking at it without being able to take her eyes off it. Suddenly another sparkle appeared in the horizon and then another and another. Soon they were surrounded by fireflies. The tall buildings of Tokyo disappeared and a road bordered by sakura trees took its place. Kenshin was still holding her but she was no longer wearing her own clothes and his jacket, she was wearing a beautiful kimono instead. She looked at Kenshin with confused eyes and she realized he wasn't wearing his black clothes either, he had a magenta gi on and white hakama. Kaoru noticed that he also had a sword by his side and then she heard his voice.

"Sesha wa rurouni… Sayonara" Her heart was broken again. He was leaving. 

With that said Kenshin left and she fell to the floor crying feeling totally worthless, she couldn't stop him there was nothing she could do. Kaoru's vision became blurry, she dried her tears and when she was able to see clearly again everything was back to normal. She blinked in confusion wondering what was what she saw, it felt so real, she was convinced for a moment but it was impossible, it couldn't be. She thought that maybe it was a dream an illusion that appeared in her exhausted mind, but then that very first butterfly she had seen flew in front of her eyes one more time before going away and disappearing into the night. 

Kaoru felt Kenshin's arms around her. No it wasn't a dream, she was certain, the deep feeling in her heart told her that. It was a memory, something that had happened a long time ago and that she had forgotten. She didn't know much, but she knew that she let him leave her once, she knew how much that hurt and she sure wasn't going to let that happen again.

She slowly pulled away from his embrace and looked at him in those captivating eyes. 

"There is no way I'm letting you leave me"

Kenshin took a deep breath. He didn't want to leave either, but he knew it was the best thing to do. He had nothing to give her, he had no money, no food, no place to go and in no time the gang would be hunting him down. No he couldn't do that to her, he had to protect her, that was the most important thing. He didn't know why but his heart ached just by thinking of leaving her but something inside him told him that it was the right thing to do, he needed to leave.

"Kaoru, I'm sorry but this is for the best…" 

"No Kenshin it isn't" She said putting two fingers in his lips "Not this time."

***

A/N: I know it's short but I just wanted to leave it there, I hope you'll understand. Next one would be longer… 

Individual thanks:

star-chan: I'm glad you liked it! It makes me so happy. Thanks for always reviewing so soon and for being so nice to me. I hope you liked this chapter too and I hope to hear from you again soon. *hugs back*

kriska: Well they got out but there is a lot ahead of them. Hope you liked it and thanx for your review.

Red Ninja: I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing, I hope to hear from you again soon.

Yume Kuroi: I'm weird some times too, don't worry… I'm glad you liked it and you are right he always has to protect her. Thanks for your nice review!

Jason M. Lee: I'm glad you liked Battousai, I like him too. Poor Kenshin, he'll get a chance to recover soon. I'm sorry I didn't use the pipe idea… maybe next time. *wink*

Ann-dono: I'm so glad you liked it!!! Sorry it took me so long to update *Misanagi hides behind the compute screen* but I hope you liked the chapter at least. Thanks for your nice review, you are so nice to me! Hope to hear from you again soon.

C-Chan & Eko: I'm glad the last chapter made you happy (it made me happy too). I'm sorry Eko but no violence in this one… maybe latter… Anyway thanks for reviewing!!!!

moonblossom: I'm glad you liked the chapter. About the question… Kenshin's past would be revealed later in the story but you'll find all of your questions answered, I promise.

Skipper: I also needed a cold shower when I finished writing that chapter, Battousai is just so sexy!!! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter too.

omochi: Yes, Kenshin did kill before but he doesn't do that anymore. Yes that kind of goes into his record but I'll give you a hint: Read the epilogue of Heavenly Lost or the Prologue of this story and read carefully what the light tells him. Everything there is so crucial to this story…. 

Chiki: I LOVE Kenshin as Battousai too!!! You were talking about memories in your review so I hope you liked the first memory Kaoru got and was able to remember. I hope you can forgive me for the delay in the chapter and thank you for your wonderful review!

The *Spangled* Pandemonium: I love Kenshin's amber eyes too and I love they way he always has to protect Kaoru… *sigth* Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad that your keyboard still works!

Kaoru Himura!: Gracias por tu review! Mira lo irónico, cuando no tienes tiempo el capítulo es largo y cuando me dices que entre más largo mejor, es corto. En todo caso espero que te halla gustado y saber de ti pronto.

Joey: I know they are perfect for each other!!!! About your question: Read the epilogue of Heavenly Lost or the Prologue of this story and read carefully what the light tells Kenshin. Everything there is so crucial to this story…. You'll have to read it carefully because some important things are between the lines or left unexplained. I'll answer your question in the story too but it'll be a while before I get to that point. Anyway thanks for your great review and sorry for the delay.

White Plum: Yo también amo a Kenshin!!! Estoy mas bien obsesionada con él! Hasta mi novio lo sabe… Battousai es tan sexy! No te parece? Yo te dije que nunca dejaría que a Kaoru le pasara algo tan horrible como ser violada y no le paso… para eso está Kenshin, para protegerla! Hay muchas historias de reencarnación o AU con todos los miembros del Kenshingumi pero yo prefiero dejar esta historia solo con Kenshin y Kaoru así que no esperes ver a nadie más. Espero que me escribas de nuevo pronto!

Kary: Estamos de acuerdo, Kenshin es lo más hermoso que existe! Gracias por tu review y espero que te halla gustado este capítulo también!

moon goddess: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too. Thanx for reviewing, I hope to hear from you again!

Naomi: Yes Kenshin will protect Kaoru no matter what. Sorry for the long update… Thanks for your nice review and for helping me post that chapter by sending me the link to the login page. Talk to you latter!!!

Sabrina-star: MUCHAS GRACIAS POR AGREGARME A TUS AUTORES FAVORITOS!!!!! A mi también me encanta cuando Kenshin actúa como Battousai… Gracias por entender eso de los capítulos y por tu review!!! Tu en serio sabes como subirle a uno el ánimo y hacerlo sentir bien… Gracias!

Shizika: Yes, Kenshin is like Superman in many ways. When I was writing the part about the cuffs I was thinking that it was maybe a little OOc to make him break them, but then I remembered that in Jinchu when he finally gets out of Rakunimura he breaks the chain holding his sakabatou so if he could do that he could break cuffs too. Thanks for reviewing!!!!

Lysse-chan (Gaby): Gracias por tu review!!! No sabes lo feliz que me hace saber que a la gente le gusta lo que escribo, Gracias. Lamento haberme demorado tanto escribiendo este capítulo. Yo se que yo te dije que lo iba a actualizar antes pero… En todo caso espero que te haya gustado y estamos hablando. 

Gipsy-chan: Thank you for your reviews, all of them!!! I'm glad you kept reading even if it was sad and that you liked the Battousai part too. I love Kenshin when he goes Battousai! I never thought of e-mailing updates but I'll do it if it makes the readers happy. Thanks for your great reviews!!!!!

Kyaa-Kyaff: I droll over Kenshin turning Battousai too, he is just so sexy! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too! Hope to hear from you again soon!!!

^_^x


	7. Chapter VI: Somewhere to go

A/N: Sorry for the delay and the shortness of the chapter but I'm just so busy… I hope you can forgive me. Thanks for reviewing, here is another chapter…. Enjoy!

Chapter VI

Somewhere to go

The lights of the police station faded as Kenshin and Kaoru walked away from it. Kenshin was holding her hand; he wanted to stay like that for ever with her. She had convinced him and he agreed to stay with her. She had some sort of power over him. He didn't know exactly what was it but he knew that just by looking into her eyes his whole world was reorganized. They were silent as they walked though the empty streets in the night. Kenshin was looking ahead but was listening to every sound she made. Her soft breathing, the sound of her footsteps in the pavement, her free hand taking the bangs that fell in her face away from it. He listened to her more than anything and the minute she gave a slight breath of fatigue he noticed it and stopped. She was tired, he could tell that. He would carry her if he had to but he didn't know what to do or where to go, he felt lost. He slowly tuned around and met her blue eyes. He looked into them before speaking; her eyes were curious but also as kind as ever.

"I'm sorry Kaoru… I don't know where to go"

Kaoru smiled slightly and held his hand tightly.

"I know of a place we can go but…" She left the sentence unfinished as she lowered her eyes and stared at the pavement.

"But what?" Asked Kenshin softly as he kept staring at her.

"I don't know if I'll be welcome there"

Kenshin didn't understood what she was saying, somehow he knew there was a sad story behind her words but he didn't dare to ask. He brushed his free hand against her cheek and she looked up at him with the same smile she always wore but with a little bit of sadness left in her eyes. 

"We don't have to go there if you don't want to, we'll find some place else"

Kenshin started walking slowly again but this time he was headed some where. He had found a solution, a temporary one, but in the morning he would find some other place to go. 

*   *   *

They arrived to the place they were going. It was a fancy building in the middle of a really nice neighborhood.  Kaoru stood there just looking at the building for a moment. It was beautiful; it was painted in white and had a beautiful balcony in the top floor. 

"This is it?" Asked Kaoru not believing her eyes.

"Yes" Said Kenshin as he took her hand and walked her to the back entrance of the building. "It's empty; no one will find us here, at least not tonight"

Kaoru just watched as Kenshin used a pin to open the back door of the house. She followed him inside and he led the way. 

"Do you know where the light switch is?" Asked Kaoru "I'm tripping on everything"

Kenshin used a lighter so they both could see better and then continued walking.

"We can't turn on the lights" He said "If we do they'll know that the house isn't empty and some one will come and check it out"

Kaoru nodded and kept walking. They went upstairs and Kenshin opened up a room they could stay in.

The house was still furnished and the room had two big beds. There was also a big window that let the light of the night fill the room. 

"We can stay here tonight" said Kenshin "But tomorrow we may have to leave, I don't know how long we'll be safe here" 

"How do you know this place?" Asked Kaoru "I thought you said you didn't know the city much"

"I don't" Answered Kenshin "I only know some parts of the city and it's because of the missions I've been to… I knew this place was empty because… a few days ago the bosses came here on a mission… I was supposed to get in and steal something for them, but some of the men outside were spotted by the security guard and the cover was blown. Minutes latter I heard gunshots; I took what they wanted and went out… The members of the gang killed everyone inside… I tried to stop them but when I realized what they had done it was to late…"

"What you are saying is that this place is empty because the people that lived here are dead?" 

Kenshin lowered his eyes but that was all the answer he needed to give. Kaoru felt sad for him, she knew how much it hurt him when people died around him, and to think that he lived in that world for so much time. She got up from her bed, walked to his and sat next to him. She nervously put her arms around her and held him close. Kenshin widened his eyes when he felt her touch. It felt so good being comforted by her, her touch felt so good, he thought in that moment that they belonged together. She let her hands hold his and when she did that she realized that the broken cuffs were still around his wrists.

"Kenshin, your hands, you are still injured"

Kenshin just smiled at her as he assured her that it was fine.

"But is not" She said concerned for him. "You are hurt and those things around your wrists are too tight, they must be hurting your hands!"

"Please don't worry Kaoru, I've been in this situation before, my hands will be just fine"

"But…"

"Please don't worry, there is nothing we can do tonight, maybe tomorrow…"

"But how are you going to get them off?"

"… I don't know… maybe if I still had my sword… we'll have to wait and see."

"How about I knife, I can go to the kitchen and try to find something…"

"No, a knife isn't sharp enough"

Kaoru didn't say another word but held Kenshin close. She knew he probably was never held before and he needed to be. It had been a long day and they fell asleep, tired, in each other's arms. 

*   *   *

It was a soft nock on the door what woke him up that morning. He was used to sleep until the middle of the afternoon and no one dared to wake him up. When he realized how early it was he knew it had to be something important, someone was risking his life by waking him up. He sat in bed and then allowed the person waiting at the other side of the door to come in.

The man in front of him was one of him most trusty employees but even so he was nervous to be standing in front of his boss. 

"This better be good" Said the first boss as he looked at the man in front of him. He was still moody, he hated being up that early in the morning.

"Kenshin and the girl escaped last night sir" Said the man as firmly as he could. 

This news wasn't doing any good for the boss's anger.

"How was that possible?"

"Well some of the guys went inside the cell to… to have some fun with the girl and he knocked them out and took off with her"

"But he was cuffed to the bars!"

"He broke the hand cuffs"

The firs boss staid silent for a moment as he took deep breaths and tried to calm himself and clear his thoughts.

"I want them found today. Both of them, I need the girl alive and I also need Kenshin, now more than ever"

The man nodded and turned to leave but stopped at the door when he heard the first boss voice. 

"By the way, throw the idiots that broke into the cell in the solitary, I'll deal with them latter."

*   *   *

Kenshin woke up early in the morning as he always did. The sun was coming on his window and he slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't used to see the sun, normally he woke up in the darkness of his cell. He was going to see the morning from the big window but then he saw a sight even more beautiful. There in his arms a sleeping beauty was resting. He looked at her like he was put on a spell. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, she looked so beautiful and peaceful in her sleep.

He couldn't help himself, he slowly reached her face with his hand and let his fingers slide down her cheek. She smiled softly and he stopped wondering if his touch woke her up. When she didn't open her eyes he continued. He closed his eyes trying to feel every inch of her face, the touch felt so familiar, like something he used to do. 

He didn't know exactly what to do next but he did know one thing. He was never leaving the girl by his side, no matter what'll happen or where they would go, they would stay together. 

*   *   *

A/N: I know I'm such a bad author but I have so much to do. I hope you can forgive me but I didn't have time to write the personal thanks… next time I will. Once again please forgive me! Anyway please write and tell me what you think, I look forward for your comments. 


	8. Chapter VII: In Between

Chapter VII

In Between

Kenshin slowly walked downstairs to the kitchen. It was early in the morning and Kaoru was still sleeping in the bed. His hands were killing him. He was used to that feeling, the first boss took pleasure in cuffing him, Kenshin didn't know exactly why but he always did it. One of the times he managed to get a pin that was hidden in his clothes and he picked the locks and got free. Of course when the first boss came in to hit him again he was surprised to find the boy untied. Kenshin knew back then that by picking the locks he wasn't going to escape but he didn't care, he only did it because he stopped feeling his hands since the cuffs were so tight. That time the boss hit him harder and got some new handcuffs made especially for Kenshin since they were almost impossible to pick. Kenshin rubbed his hands together as he walked down the stairs. He was way beyond pain, his hands were almost useless, he couldn't move them much, they were purple and they constantly hurt. He wasn't worried about the pain, he could handle that and he knew it, he was more concerned about the repercussions that may leave. He waited until the morning to go to the kitchen and try to find something to help him get out of the handcuffs; he didn't want to worry that beautiful girl sleeping upstairs. He walked into the kitchen and began searching each place trying to find a knife or something with a blade sharp enough to get him out of the cuffs. He searched every inch of the kitchen but it was useless, there was nothing there. He would just have to wait until they could find some way to get him free, but he knew he didn't have much time, his hands would pay a high price if he didn't rush.

Kenshin opened the fridge and got out some ice to pun in his hands and stopped them from swelling. Kenshin knew they had a big day ahead. They would have to find a place to stay and get some money somehow. Kenshin knew they could only stay in that house for a little time, it was just too dangerous. 

*   *   *

Kaoru slowly opened her eyes; the bright light coming into the window woke her up. She blinked a couple of times before her eyes could focus the room she was in. For a few moments she wondered where she was but then the memories of the night before filled her mind. She instantly searched the room looking for Kenshin. Her heart suddenly stopped as she used her eyes to search the room once more. It was a matter of seconds but in that time a thousand images flashed through her mind, so many and so fast that she couldn't remember them, the only thing she knew was that whatever she saw was link to that horrible felling that was taking over her. 

Kaoru realized that she wasn't breathing so she exhaled a breath of relieve as the door of the room opened and Kenshin walked in carrying a tray of food. 

"Good morning" Said Kenshin with a smile as he slowly walked in and put the tray in the small table near the bed. 

"Good morning" answered Kaoru as she rubbed her eyes and slowly sat on the bed. "What time is it?"

"Like eight in the morning. I'm sorry if I woke you up"

"No it's ok" Answered Kaoru as she struggle to get herself fully awake. 

"Come on Kaoru, I made breakfast"

Kaoru slowly got out of bed and sat in front of him. The food smelled delicious. She had forgotten how hungry she was. When she was locked in that cage she got some food but it wasn't good at all so she didn't eat much. But now that hot plate in front of her was just so good.

"Arigatou Kenshin" She said as she took a fork and started eating.

Kenshin only smiled at her as he took his own fork. He stared at the food for a few moments. It looked so good but he knew he had to be careful with what he ate. Since he was being punished he wasn't fed a lot, it was part of his reprimand and it helped getting him weak. He knew that if he ate a lot or too fast he might hurt himself. 

Kaoru noticed his hesitation and stopped eating herself. 

"What's wrong?" She asked as she put her own fork down. 

Kenshin smiled as he said "It's nothing. I'm just a little weak"

Weak? How could he be weak? Asked Kaoru to herself. She had seen him the night before and that was not a weak person. He had broken the chain in his cuffs with his bare hands! He had taken two men down without even blinking and without a weapon. She knew he was really strong but by looking at him she could see what he meant. He was so bruised, she had taken care of his wounds before but now in plane day light the looked much worst. She could see the dark rings beneath his eyes and the tiredness in his face. She felt a wave of sadness as she remembered what he had been through. He was beaten cuffed and probably starved and even after that he had done everything in his power to get her free. Kaoru noticed his hands and how they were still bonded by the cuffs. They looked so bad, they were purple and Kaoru knew Kenshin needed to get out of those cuffs really soon and also get medical attention. 

"Kenshin we need to get you to a hospital"

Kenshin raise his eyes and looked at her. 

"It's not necessary."

"How can you say that? Of course it is! Have you seen your hands? They are purple! This could be really serious; you need to get some medical attention"

"It's not necessary Kaoru" He repeated as he took a bite of bread and slowly chewed it "I'll be fine just as soon as I get out of this cuffs"

"But how are we going to do that if you don't want to get some help?"

"I just need a sharp blade and that is it"

Kaoru stayed silent. There was just no reasoning with him. She just wanted to help but it wasn't working. She was so worried. Looking at his injuries, knowing they hurt him made her feel so much pain. 

"Ano kaoru… I wanted to ask you something…" Kaoru looked up but didn't answer, she just waited for him to continue talking. "Do you have any place to go? Some family maybe or friends that can help you?"

"My whole family is dead, I only had my father left… and as for friends, I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend Kaoru" He said as he put his fork down, he was done eating. "but there is no way I can help you, I have no place to go, we'll have to get out of this house too."

"I don't care about that" answered Kaoru looking at him with her sparkling blue eyes "I'm alone too, I'm not really that close to my other friends and there is no place for me to go either… But with you… it just feels safe."

"I'll protect you no matter what Kaoru"

Somehow both of them felt that those words sounded strangely familiar.

"Anyway…" Said Kaoru braking the awkward silence that followed the last statement. "The first thing we got to do is go back to my house."

"I told you that we can't stay there, the gang will come looking for us."

"I know that" Answered Kaoru "But it would only be for a few minutes. I need to get some things."

"It's going to be very dangerous, the gang men may be there waiting for us and they'll be armed. I have nothing to defend with… If I would only have gotten my sword…"

"Do you know how to use a katana?" Asked Kaoru as she remembered something.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"There is one in my house. It was supposed to be a samurai sword. My father had it in his office for decoration. He said it was really expensive. It's sheathed, my father never let me get near it so I don't know if it is in good shape but it must be since my father was so sure of its value."

"I don't know Kaoru it still is to dangerous"

"But we need to go there! My father left me some money hidden inside the house. It has been there since I can remember and he said that I should take it out if there is an emergency. We need the money now, this is an emergency."

Kenshin remained silent for a few moments. Kaoru kept her eyes on her and then he finally talked. 

"Ok, we'll go"

*   *   *

They left the house almost immediately and began the walked to Kaoru's house. Since they didn't have any money for a bus or a cab they had to get going if the wanted to get there before dark. Kenshin had said that it was safer because the gang had to lay low so there would be less chance of a big confrontation with them in day light.

The walked was rather long but they managed to get there in the middle of the afternoon. Kenshin stopped a block before they reached the house and inspected the surroundings. When he was sure that there were no gang members near he and Kaoru went to the back door and after finding the spare key they went in. 

Kaoru stopped for a moment just behind the door. It was strange going back there. That house wasn't the home she once knew any more. All those happy memories were joined but the dark figure of her dad covered in blood and lying lifeless on the floor. She didn't want to go in. She didn't want to face the place again, she didn't want the memories. She knew her life was split in two just a few days before, she had a new life but remembering the other one was just too painful. 

She felt a hand in her shoulder and she turned around to meet the eyes of the man that held her fragile life together. She looked into his violet eyes, so full with tenderness and understanding. He didn't need to speak. Everything he had to say was said with his look. Kaoru took a deep breath, then held Kenshin hand in hers and started walking. 

She knew were she had to go first. Her dad's office. As she had said there hanging in the wall was a katana. Kenshin looked at the weapon in the wall and after Kaoru told him so he got it down. He held the sword in his hands. The sword felt great and he felt better just carrying it. He took the handle with one hand and slowly started unsheathing it. The blade looked good but he could tell that it wasn't in perfect shape. It looked old, not as old as the one he had before, and he knew just by looking at it that it was used carelessly before and then stored. _"It's not the best but it'll do" _

He decided to really test the sword so he raised it with his right hand and made a quick slash into his left one. 

Kaoru stopped breathing. She had been contemplating Kenshin for a while and she blinked once to try to clear her thoughts. Did she just saw Kenshin slash his hand with that sword?" Kaoru exhaled and ran to Kenshin's side. She was about to ask him is f he was ok, she was about to yell at him for being such a baka, she was about to hug him and comfort him when she saw a metal ring hit the ground. 

"It could use some edge" Said Kenshin as he took the sword in his left hand and repeated the procedure in his right one. A second latter the other cuff hit the floor, Kenshin was finally free. 

He sheathed the sword and then rubbed his hands. He felt the blood circulating again and then the pain that that brought. _"At least I can still feel"_

Kaoru just looked at him. What he did was great, how had he done that? It was so dangerous; he could have slashed himself by accident.

"Kenshin no baka!" She screamed as she hit him in the head with an umbrella she found near. "You could have injured yourself more! You have to be more careful!"

"Sorry Kaoru-dono" He said as he rubbed his head. 

Then time stopped. Kenshin and Kaoru looked at each other without saying a single word. Kenshin remembered his words. He had called her Kaoru_­-dono?  _What was that? He didn't know what happened; he just answered that as a reflex to her words. He didn't know exactly why but he felt like he wasn't supposed to say that. He ignored the fact that he was in the twenty first century and saying that expression was really weird, he knew that beside that, there was something about it that hurt Kaoru a lot. But how did he know that? He didn't know her but he knew so much about her… why was that? How was it possible?

Kaoru didn't noticed Kenshin's confused look since she was having a mental battle of her own. She felt like a needle was stabbed through her heart when she heard him call her like that. –Dono, she wasn't really sure what that meant, she just knew it was really archaic. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, it was just a silly expression that she could laugh at… but she couldn't. It had so much meaning and it was a sad meaning. 

"Kaoru you should look for the money" Said Kenshin that had come out of his thoughts. 

Kaoru blinked a couple of times and returned to reality. She decided to forget that for now and focus on the money.

Kaoru walked to her father's desk and took a picture that was on top of it. In there you could see Kaoru's father holding his mother in his arms and smiling. Kaoru loved that picture. She had never met her mother so she knew her only by stories and pictures. She liked that one a lot, she looked so beautiful and they were both smiling so much. She thought that whenever she saw it she could feel the joy coming out of the photograph. She smiled as she looked at it and then she broke the frame. She took the picture and put in her pocket and then got a small key out of the remains of the frame. She then walked to a small corner of the room and slowly took a brick of the wall. Behind it was a small metal door and she used the key to open it. That was his father secret safe. He had always told her that if there was ever any emergency she could take the money that was stored in there and that it would hemp her a lot. She mentally thanked her father for his help and then reached into the safe. She pulled out a big brown envelope that was sealed but she could feel something else inside so she got it out too. It was a metal box. Since there was nothing else inside she closed the little metal door and put the brick back in its place. 

Then she gathered all of her courage and started walking upstairs towards her room. She got in. Everything was exactly as she left it but yet it seemed so different. She got in and got a bag out of the closet. She filled it with some clothes and a few personal items and then walked out of her room saying goodbye to her belongings and her life there forever. Kenshin was waiting for her at the door and they began walking downstairs together. Kaoru felt a tear falling down her face, soon more followed and before she knew Kenshin was holding her in his arms. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to, his touch was enough for her so she remained in his arms crying for the life she had lost but holding her hope for a new one. 

*   *   *

A/N: I know it took me a lot of time to get this chapter but I hope at least you liked it. I tried to make it long for you to enjoy. Sorry no personal thanks this time either… would you forgive me? But I can guarantee that I read carefully all of them and appreciate them a lot. Thanks for reviewing! 


	9. Chapter VIII: Piece of Cake

The Findings of Earth

A/N: You just wouldn't believe how much work I have to do! I'm so sorry I kept you waiting this long but I just couldn't find the time to write sooner. I hope you can forgive me. I know that you waited a long time for this chapter and I know that waiting can be really boring so I really hope you'll forgive me for this delay. 

From the last chapter:

_He didn't say anything, he didn't have to, his touch was enough for her so she remained in his arms crying for the life she had lost but holding her hope for a new one. _

Chapter VIII

Piece of Cake

Their embrace was broken by a loud noise downstairs. Some one had broken down one of the doors and they could hear footsteps coming up. Kenshin got up immediately and held Kaoru behind him. He was going to protect her no matter what. 

Kaoru stood back, she noticed how Kenshin stood in front of her in a ready stance, his eyes never leaving the hallway and his new sword in one hand. 

He could sense them coming and just by hearing their footsteps he knew there where four of them. They were probably just a vigilance group sent by the first boss to check the house out. Kenshin had spent a lot of time in that gang and he knew the way the worked. He knew they were carrying guns, they always did. He only had that sword to protect himself with, but he wasn't concerned about himself, he only cared about the girl standing right behind him. 

"Kaoru get inside one of the rooms now"

Kaoru hesitated for a second but she did as she was told, she knew that she couldn't argue with Kenshin when he acted that way. 

Kenshin sensed them coming closer and closer. He waited patiently for the first of them to appear. 

The men climbed the stairs carelessly, they were checking the house but they didn't expect to find anyone there. It was a routine job, the used to do that sort of things all the time. That's why they were so surprised when the first one of them fell unconscious on the floor. Neither he or the others saw the blow, it was so fast that they couldn't notice.

"What the he-" Said another when he was hit in the face by the hilt of a sheathed sword.   

The remaining two took a step back as they saw their former comrade in front of them holding a sword and looking at them with eyes they never thought could exist. 

They had known Kenshin since he joined the gang. Kenshin was their pet, they always found excuses to hit him and whenever he was punished, witch was often, all of them had the chance to torture him themselves. All of them knew that the skinny kid they first met had grown and was strong and dangerous. All of them knew that Kenshin was very skillful. That was the only thing that kept the first boss from killing him, Kenshin was a problem, he never liked the way the gang operated and he always disagree with their methods but the boss kept him alive just because he was strong. Never the less Kenshin never did anything to them, he never acted out of anger towards them and he had a lot of reasons. That was why they couldn't believe the story of the night of his escape. Kenshin was powerful but he always controlled his temper, but after what they heard, they though that maybe the skinny boy they had tortured all those years would finally respond.

The men instantly reached for their guns. Kenshin just stood looking at the two men pointing guns at him and a smirk crossed his face.

"Do you really think you can stop me with that?"

The men held their guns high and looked at him.

"Yes we can" said one of them as he put his finger in the trigger "that is unless you learned to dodge bullets."

A shot was heard. He man closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them Kenshin wasn't there. He took a breath of relieve as he look down to the floor hoping to find the boy's body. His heart stopped when he didn't saw it.

"It looks like I did learn" Said a voice beside him. The man couldn't react, a blow to his face made him fall to the ground.

A crack was heard and Kenshin looked at the sword he was holding in his hand. The rare and precious katana wasn't unsheathed, but Kenshin had used the hilt of the sword to knock all of the men out and now it was broken. 

Kenshin couldn't think about it to much because he felt the cold metal of a gun pressed behind his neck. 

"Stay still so I don't have to kill you" Said the man behind him. 

Kenshin smiled when he noticed the almost undetectable shaking in the man's hand. It took him only a few seconds to turn around and get the gun of the man's hand. The man fell back frightened by Kenshin. Kenshin just threw the gun aside and approached the man. He stood in front of him as the man looked up at him with frightened eyes.

"What are your orders?" Asked Kenshin to the last conscious man.   

The man stayed quiet just looking up at Kenshin.

"Don't make me ask you again" Kenshin never raised his voice or unsheathed his sword, but the tone of his voice and the way his violet eyes shined with sparks of amber were enough to make the man speak.

"Th.. the first bo… boss.. he ordered us to come here and… and… wait for you. He said… he wanted… you… you and the girl back today"

"He still wants me alive?" Asked Kenshin more to himself that to the man.

"Yes… he said he wanted you alive and back today"

Kenshin ignored the men and relaxed.

"Kaoru you can come out now" He said in his normal voice, but before he was himself again he gave one last look to the man.

"Don't try anything stupid" He said as Kaoru came out of a room.

She stood there looking at the mess and the injured men but she didn't say a thing. Kenshin held her hand and started walking. 

"Let's go" He said.

The men just stayed there watching them leave. He could have taken his gun back and chased them but he didn't dared, now he knew the real Kenshin and he wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. 

*   *   *

Kenshin and Kaoru left the house through the back door and walked to the bus stop. The sat at the bench waiting for the bus and Kenshin took his coat and covered the sword with it. 

"I'm sorry Kaoru but the sword broke in the fight"

"Is it bad?" Kaoru asked "I mean, I really don't care about it but can you still use it"

"Well yes, it's just the hilt, but it can be fixed"

Kaoru thought for a moment and then spoke again. 

"I know where it can be fixed. My dad used to take me to this antique store when I was little, the old man that tended it was a sword collector. He had a lot of swords, I remember he was always trying to get my dad to sold him this one but he wouldn't do it. Anyway, this guy can fix old swords and I'm sure he'll be able to fix this one."

"Wouldn't that be expensive Kaoru?"

"That's no problem, we have money"

"Kaoru I don't think is fair for me to use the money your dad left you. I broke the sword so I should pay for the repairs."

"Kenshin don't be stupid! You have no money and I happen to think that saving my life and protecting me is payment enough."

Kenshin was about to speak again but Kaoru put two fingers in his mouth preventing him from talking. 

"That's our bus" She said as she climbed in to the bus and pay for both of them. Kenshin followed her silently with the sword in his hand.

Kaoru immediately chose a seat at the back of the bus. She sat and looked out the window for a few moments watching the streets and buildings pass by. Kenshin silently looked at her. He didn't know why but he felt that he knew her forever. 

"So" Said Kaoru tuning around unexpectedly "Tell m more about you. I want to know more"

"What do you want to know?" Asked Kenshin a little surprised for the question.

 "I don't know, anything, everything… What do you like to do?"

"Like to do?"

"Yes, for example, I like cake so I love going out and eating, but I hate cooking and I'm really bad at it, what about you?"

Kenshin just looked at her for a moment. Somehow every word she said made perfect sense; he felt like he knew exactly what she was going to say. He came back to reality when he noticed those expectant blue eyes looking at him.

"Oh… well… I've never had cake so I really don't know if I would like it. But in the other hand I'm not that bad at cooking. I used to cook almost every day for the gang"

"You never had cake in your entire live?" Asked Kaoru not believing what she heard. 

"No"

"No cheese cake, no caramel cake, no chocolate cake!"

"I'm sorry… no"

"You know what? "Said Kaoru with a big smile on her face "After we get that sword fixed I'm taking you to eat the first cake of your life and you are going to love it! I just can't let someone live without cake that is cruel!"

Kenshin smiled as he heard Kaoru talking about the wonders of cake for the rest of the bus ride and he began wondering if the cake was really that good. 

The finally arrived at their stop and got out of the bus.

"Come on Kenshin, it's not far"

The walked for a little while through some streets of the city and Kenshin just looked at it amazed. He rarely left the safe house and when he did it was at night, so looking at the city at day was a new experience for him.  

Finally they arrived at a small shop filled with a very antique you can possible think of. Kaoru entered slowly with Kenshin fallowing right behind.

"Hello? Yamada-san, are you here?"

A few moments latter an old man with a long white bear and thick glasses came into the room. 

"Can I help you?" He asked without taking his eyes off them.

"Yamada-san" Said Kaoru approaching the old man "Don't you remember me? I'm Kaoru, my dad used to bring me here when I was little"

The man looked at Kaoru for a moment with confused eyes and then when he saw her eyes he recognized the little girl that use to jump around his store a few years before.

"Kaoru-chan! You've grown a lot" Said the old man with a smile on his face "Just look at you! You are beautiful! So how have things been? How is your father?"

Kaoru took a deep breath and her eyes expressed the sadness she felt. Kenshin put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "My dad died a few days ago"

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that" Said the man as he lowered his eyes "He was a good man"

"Yes he was" Said Kaoru as she gave the old man a soft smile.

After an awkward silence the ma finally asked them what he could do for them.

"Well" said Kaoru as she took the sword from Kenshin "Do you remember my father sword? The hilt broke and I was hoping you could fix it"

The old man took the sword and examined it for a moment. 

"Well of course I can fix it. It is not a difficult job, the problem is that I can't just put any hilt. You see, this is a valuable ancient katana so to replace the original hilt I'll have to use one from another sword of the same time and getting that could be expensive"

Before Kaoru or Kenshin could answer the man exited the room and came back shortly with another sheathed sword in his hand. 

"This sword is ancient but it isn't very valuable… it's in good condition, but I think I could take the hilt of this one and put it in yours"

Kaoru was listening to the old man words but Kenshin couldn't do anything but look at the sword the old man had in his hand. There was something about that sword… something that made Kenshin felt like he had met a friend he hadn't seen in a long time. He could feel the sword in his hand, he knew exactly how much it weighted, how fast it was, the sound it made when in clashed with another sword. He could feel it by his side, he could see himself wielding that sword.

"Why isn't that sword valuable?" Asked Kaoru

"It's not a normal sword" Said the old man "it's a --"

"It's a sakabatou" Interrupted Kenshin. 

                                                                      *   *   *

A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I just want to thank everyone that reviewed and specially lere and Mimiko_ for pushing me to write this chapter soon.  Hope you liked the chapter and please write and tell me what you think and thanx for being so patient with me. 


	10. Chapter IX: A Special Reflection

Chapter IX

A Special Reflection

The old man widened his eyes and looked at Kenshin for a moment.

"How did you know that?" He finally asked "The sword was sheathed"

Kenshin just looked at the sword Yamada was holding in his hands. He didn't understand either… how could he know that? The old man just kept his gaze on Kenshin and so did Kaoru… She was beginning to think that there was something extremely odd with the read headed man.

"What is a sakabatou?" Asked Kaoru breaking the uncomfortable silence that had begun. 

"The katanas normally have only one sharp side" Explained the old man "A sakabatou is a sword that has the edge on the opposite side"

Kaoru looked at Kenshin again. There was no way he could have known that before the sword was unsheathed. Kenshin still has his violet eyes fixed on the sword. His mind was a complete mess, he couldn't understand why was he so attracted by that sword, there was something about it and that feeling he got about it was tiring, he felt like the answer was in his mind but that there was no way he could find it.

"Can I see it?" Asked Kenshin extending his arm trying to reach the mysterious weapon.

The old man handed the sword to Kenshin. He held it with both hands and slowly unsheathed it. He could see his bright violet eyes reflected on the shinny metal. He felt relieve when he realized that the sword was in perfect shape, someone had bothered to keep it as good as new. He held the sword in his right arm. The feeling was so comfortable, so familiar. He knew it was weird but he felt like he had just recovered a missing part of his arm. He was so tempted in testing it. He wanted to try some moves with it. His hands and his feet were aching to move but he remained still. He knew that the energy that he was feeling from the sword was too powerful and he didn't dare to try it there. It was too dangerous and Kaoru was by his side.

"Kenshin?"

Kenshin looked up at Kaoru; she was looking at him with her bright blue eyes.

"Yamada-san was saying that if he takes the handle of this sword he'll be able to fix the other one"

"No!" Said Kenshin a little bit louder than he intended. What was wrong with him? Why did he care so much about a simple sword? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream, it's just that…"

"You want that sword don't you?" Said Kaoru looking at Kenshin.

Kenshin lowered his eyes. How did she know? Was he that easy to read? It didn't matter how much he wanted it, he couldn't ask Kaoru for it.

Kaoru didn't need a spoken answer, his actions, his movement was everything she needed to understand. 

"Yamada-san, how much is the sakabatou?"

Kenshin looked at Kaoru. That girl just knew exactly what he wanted she had such a kind heart.

"Kaoru is really not necessary…"

Kaoru just ignored Kenshin and asked Yamada again.

"Well maybe we could make a trade. You know I've always wanted your father's sword… if you want I can give you the sakabatou in exchange for the other one."

"I thought you said the sakabatou wasn't as valuable" said Kenshin.

"That is true… consider this, the handle in your sword is damage so it isn't as valuable, and in addition I'll give you the difference in money"

"It sounds like a good deal" Said Kaoru and then she went to the back of the store to make the final arrangements. 

Kenshin stood there holding the sword in his hands. 

"A sakabatou couldn't hurt a fly""You are still going to use that sakabatou against this mighty Zanbatou?""The sakabatou is my most price possession""Is good that the old one broke, now you can get a real sword""With this sword I can protect the happiness of the ones I care about"

Kenshin heard Kaoru's voice approaching and her voice silenced the strange ones that were speaking to him. 

"It's all settle, the sakabatou is yours!"

Kenshin smiled widely and thanked her. She didn't know how much that meant to him. They both exit the store together. Kenshin remained silent; he couldn't stop thinking about the sword, and on top of all the strange things that he felt, he was hearing voices… now he was sure that he was crazy. 

*   *   *

"What do you mean by 'they escaped'? I really hope that it doesn't mean that they did because if what you are trying to tell me is that you had our runaways and let them go I'm going to punish you worst than I ever did that stupid kid!"

The man felt a nod on his throat. He was as scared as a person could be. It wasn't his fault that they got away. The kid was mad! And he was so strong! There was nothing he could do.  

"He fought us with a sword… he is so quick… I swear he dodge a bullet"

The first boss smacked the man hard in the face. He was really getting tired of that group of incompetent fools that worked for him. He needed Kenshin and the girl found as soon as possible, if he didn't then everything would be ruined.  How could his mistreated fighter and a stupid girl ruin everything? He smacked the man again. He needed to release some of his tension somewhere and Kenshin wasn't around. The first boss took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Yes this was terrible news but there was also a good side. He always knew Kenshin was strong, but now the little slave was proving to be even more than he hoped for. The bay had beaten three men with guns using only a sword… yes that was good, that would certainly help his plans, but only if they were found!

"I swear to you Tanaka" Said the first boss to the man at his feet "That if you don't find Kenshin and the girl by today I'll kill you myself"

The shaken man raised immediately from the floor. 

"Thank you" He said before rushing out the door. 

The first boss watched him leave and then slowly took a cigarette of his pocket and began smoking slowly. There was no more stopping it, he'll have to make the call. 

He took out his cell phone and slowly dialed the number. It only rang once and then the voice talked to him.

"Yes?"

"They have escaped sir"

"Who?"

"The Kamiya girl and Kenshin"

"Don't call me back until you find them"

The first boss closed his cell phone and finished his cigarette. If he didn't have any news by tonight he'll have to go out and find them himself. 

*   *   *

He had never experienced something like that. He couldn't believe such things existed and knowing that they did gave a special meaning to life… Kaoru was right! There was nothing as delicious as cake!

Kenshin was in haven. Kaoru had taken him to a pastry shop that she knew and had convinced the owner to give her a little taste of every kind of cake they had. Kenshin was enjoying each of them and couldn't decide witch one he liked the most. Kaoru was just looking at him and smiling. Kenshin was happy! He deserved to have a little happiness in his live. Kaoru didn't know everything that happened to him but she knew enough to be sure that he had a rough time.  Now he was a child discovering something for the first time, something that didn't had a bitter taste in it.  

"You should eat slower" Said Kaoru still smiling at the beautiful view in front of her. Kenshin was sitting at the table with at least six dishes in front of him, each with a different flavor of cake on it. He had a spoon on his hand and more chocolate in his hands then in the spoon. He was looking at the dishes in front of him and using the spoon to try everything. First chocolate, then strawberry, then orange, then cheese cake, then ice-cream cake and when he was finish trying each flavor separately, he began to make as many combinations as possible. Chocolate and ice-cream, ice-cream and strawberry, strawberry and cheesecake, and so and so. Kaoru meanwhile just stayed seated in front of him, eating a muffing and drinking a coke. She had a big smile on her face, she could see how much this little treat had made Kenshin happy and she was just as cheerful. Finally Kenshin finished eating a great amount of cake and they left the pastry shop. 

"Domo Arigatou Kaoru-san, this was just the best thin I've ever tasted"

"Don't worry Kenshin, it was my pleasure. Just don't call me –san please. If you continue like this you'll end up calling me –dono again"

They both gave fake smiles but there was still something about that word that made them feel weird.

"So where are we going now?" Said Kaoru breaking the silence.

"I guess we should go back to the house"

"The one we slept yesterday?"

"Yes, I can't think of any other place to go"

"What if we go to a hotel?" Asked Kaoru "Now we have money and you said that you didn't know how much time it'll be safe to stay in the house"

"We can't go to a hotel" Answered Kenshin very calmly "The first boss has connections all over the city, if we are spotted in a hotel he'll know with in the hour. The house is the best place for now. Is getting late and we shouldn't stay for too long in the streets. We'll start looking for another place in the morning.

Kaoru just nodded and kept walking. She knew Kenshin knew what he was doing and she trusted him completely.

                                                                       *   *   *

"Where did you saw them?"

"…"

"I understand, what time was that?"

"…"

"Next time you should inform earlier, they could be anywhere by now!"

"…"

"I know you are sorry. Keep your eyes open, next time there'll be no sorry"

The first boss hung up the phone. This was getting tiring but at least now they had a lead.

                                                                       *   *   *

Kaoru was in the room fixing everything and Kenshin was downstairs getting dinner ready. After all that cake he was still hungry. He smiled haply when he remembered the delicious food. He was so used to having to steal his food or starved that this was indeed a pleasant change. 

The sakabatou was lying in the kitchen table and every time Kenshin saw it he felt an urge to go and practice with it. It was like the sword was calling him. After passing in front of it and ignoring it as best as he could a few times, he finally gave up.

He walked to the kitchen table and took the sword in his hand. He felt like there was some kind of energy that was possessing him just by having the sword in his hand.

He looked around the kitchen and knew that he didn't have enough space so he exited the room and went into the living room. Without putting the sword aside he moved some furniture and rearrange the room so that he had enough space to move as he wanted to. 

When he was done he slowly unsheathed the sword and put the saya aside. He looked at in for a few moments. He could see his reflection in the shinny metal. He saw his eyes looking back at him. He saw his violet eyes, and then he saw them slowly changing into amber. He had a strange look on his face, but it still seemed so familiar to see that picture of himself reflected in the blade… why? He moved his eyes and blinked a few times. He saw his refection in the mirror at the wall… he had violet eyes, he looked as he usually did. Was he hallucinating again? 

He decided to stop worrying about that and close his eyes so he could concentrate. He started moving slowly. He raised the sword and tried a few simple strokes. The sakabatou felt so right in his hand. He knew that that type of sword was supposed to be a bet slower, but he was able to move it just as fast as a regular one. After a few minutes he began trying more difficult moves. He moved the sword back and forward and used his body weigh to bring power to the strikes. The more he practiced the faster his moves got. He didn't notice it but he was moving faster than he had ever done before in his life. Suddenly he jump up in the air and would have hit the roof if it wasn't so tall. He descended the high jump and gave a single forceful strike into thin air. He reached the floor and gasped.

If Kaoru had closed her eyes she would have miss it. Kenshin noticed her standing in a corner looking at him with bright blue eyes.

Kaoru was in a daze. Seeing Kenshin do that had made her see a thousand images in her mind in just one second. She wasn't sure what went to her mind but she knew that she had seen him do that before.

"I know that move" Said Kaoru in a soft whisper that was barely hearable to Kenshin. "It's Ryu Tsui Sen"  

                                                                       *   *   * 

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. Please tell me what you think of it. 

Thanks for your reviews: Jason M. Lee (I corrected the chapter, thanx), ewunia, Yukimi, jenna, Gypsy-chan, Val (how did you know?), Sabrina-star (yo te dije que no iba a dejar la historia y es cierto :)), star-chan, Yume Kuroi, Fuuko-san (I'm still alive!), Kyaa-Kyaf, Chiki, Skipper, michelle, coldxshivers(The same thing happens to me, I forget the story line when I don't read in a long time. I don't think I got your mails… sorry for the long update), White Plum, Mimiko_, (I can tell you one thing for sure: I'm not dropping this story), omochi,  The*Spangled*Pandemonium (your feeling is correct), Kaoru: Kawaii Aisuno Sakura (Thanx for all your reviews).

I hope I didn't miss anyone… if I did I'm deeply sorry.

Special thanx to: coldxshivers, Enchanted Winter Stars, Kaoru: Kawaii Aisuno Sakura and Koyasha for putting me in your favorite author list!


	11. Chapter X: The Sword Maker

A/N: Sorry this took this long. The good news is that I'll finish the semester in two weeks so I'll have more time to write. The bad news is that I messed up my keyboard so I need to use my moms computer to write but that wont stop me. 

**Thaks for your support and thanks to Haru** for nominating "Heavenly Lost" for the Best Sci- Fi/Fantasy fanfic at the Nikky Diary RK Awards (That means a lot to me)

And thaks to however nominated "The Findings of Earth" for best Angst/Dark fic at the RKRC Awards… that made me so happy to!!!!!!!

*   *   *

"I know that move" Said Kaoru in a soft whisper that was barely hearable to Kenshin. "It's Ryu Tsui Sen" 

Chapter X 

The Sword Maker

Kaoru stood there with her eyes wide open looking at Kenshin. Kenshin slowly sheathed his sakabatou and then walked towards her. 

"How did you know" He asked in a soft voice. 

Kaoru blinked a couple of times before she was able to speak again. She didn't know. That strange name just popped into her head when she saw him doing that. And for a moment, just a single moment she didn't saw the Kenshin that stood in front of her, she saw a different one. He wasn't wearing his black outfit, he was actually wearing white hakama and magenta yukata. He looked like he was dressed to go to a costume party, but yet he had his sword in his hand as usual.

"I'm not sure" Kaoru answered slowly.

"I think you were right" Said Kenshin.

"What?"

"Yes, I think you were right. I don't know how I know this but I think you were right. That was Ryu Tsui Sen"

Kaoru walked to the sofa and seated. She didn't understand what was going on. everything was so weird.

"What exactly is Ryu Tsui Sen?" She finally asked.

"I don't know. I guess I a sword technique but I don't know where I learned it"

"It looks pretty powerful"

"It felt powerful" Said Kenshin.

"Maybe is a famous technique and that was how we recognize it" Said Kaoru after a while

"Yes… maybe"  

But in there heart they both knew that couldn't be.

*   *   *

Kenshin was walking through the woods in a beautiful sunset. He was carrying a katana in his hand and his eyes were fixed on it. There was something so familiar in that sword. He finally decided to look at it closer, he unsheathed it and watched the blade shine with the red sun that covered the earth. The blade was in the wrong side, this sword was a sakabatou too. It wasn't the one he had purchased that day, it was different, but it felt equal somehow. It was then that he noticed that he wasn't wearing anything usual. His black outfit was gone, instead he was wearing an old looking one. He had a white hakama on and a blue gi. His hair was tied in a high pony tale and he was walking slowly without a place to go. Kenshin was in deep thought, there were some words flying to his mind. He was trying so hard to remember them. 

_"…Kyoto"_

_"…come see me in Kyoto"_

_"…and you still have the same dream, come see me in Kyoto"_

What dream? Kenshin thought starting to get frustrated. What was he talking about? The sun was starting to hide and the night was starting to fall. He kept walking and with each step he took he thought more and more about everything. 

_"Life death and a sword.. .that is your only path. Take this, it's not my best work but it will do. Do what you believe using this sword, you'll learn what an unrealistic dream you have. When this sword breaks and you still have the same dream, come see me in Kyoto"_

Kenshin stopped walking. Those words, they seemed so real, like something he really heard a long time ago, something that stayed with him for ever. Some one gave him a sword, why? Kenshin grabbed the sword that rested by his side once more. He looked at it closely. This wasn't the same sword but it seemed so alike. Then a vision hit him and he awoke with a name on his mind.

"Shakku"

*    *    *

Yes it was the middle of the night but he didn't care. He had to find out, he had to know if his suspicions were correct, and if they were… he didn't even wanted to think about it. It was just too much for him.

He quietly left the room and walked to the kitchen. A thousand questions in his mind and just one way to find some of the answer. Everything was so weird, the sword, the way he felt when he used it, the power he possessed. That thing that he did, he had never seen a move like that, and he simply preformed it like he had done it a million times before. Ryu Tsui Sen… what did tat meant? And why did Kaoru knew about it. The blue eyed girl was the biggest of the questions. At first he thought that he was just imagining things, but he weren't. There was some kind of estrange connection between  him and Kaoru and it was driving him mad that he couldn't tell what was it. 

Kenshin reached the kitchen with the sword in his hand. He didn't turned on the light, he didn't want to draw attention to the house. He put the sword on the table and grabbed a knife. He stared at the sword for a moment before he began to work. 

He slowly started to take of the hilt of his sword. He refused to look at the blade until the hilt was completely of.  When he was almost done he heard some footsteps approaching.

 "What are you doing up at this hour?" He asked without even tuning around.

"I don't know" Answered Kaoru after a few moments. "How did you know it was me?"

Kenshin turned around and looked at those beautiful blue eyes. "I just knew" He answered as she approached him.

"Kenshin what are you doing?" She asked when she saw the sword on the table.

"I'm just… I just need to see something"

Kaoru just nodded in understanding. She knew what he was talking about. She didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but she had sensed the same things he had, and she also felt in her heart that there were some answers to her multiple questions if she just knew where to look, or if she could just remember.

Kenshin took his eyes away from Kaoru's when he saw the understanding in them and finished his task. 

Kenshin held the blade in his hands, he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

His suspicions were confirmed the moment he laid eyes on the blade. There they were, the words that he was fearing to find and that he knew could only mean one thing: He wasn't crazy and something really strange was happening.

Kaoru looked in the violet eyes of Kenshin and then saw the confused expression they held. He was contemplating the blade that laid in his hands. She gently took it from him and read out loud the words that were written where the handle should have been, that where hidden and only meant to be found by someone that knew where to look.

"I made a sword to atone for all the pain I caused. My son may hate what I create, so this is for my grandson's era" – Shakku Arai

"Who is Shakku?" Asked Kaoru.

"The man that made this sword and that gave me my first sword right after the battle of Toba Fushimi at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration"

*   *   *

A/n: Yes I know this is short but sorry. I just didn't have more time to write since I'm in the middle of finals and all. I don't know a single thing about swords so I just made out the part where it was possible to take the hilt of, if I'm wrong just please pretend I'm not.

If anybody wants to be notified when a new chapter is uploaded please tell me and I'll add you to my mailing list.

**Thanks for reading**: Gypsy-chan, Sabrina-star, Jason M. Lee, omochi, Haru, Lysse-chan, Fuuko-san, Jaina, Naomi, Yume Kuroi, ryuu, The*Spangled*Pandemonium, Skipper, White Plum, Val, Chiki, Aloani, Kaoru Himura, Kaoru: Kawaii Sakura, Mistress of Time and Tasya. 

**Special thanks to**: ThirdGrid, Aloani, Mistress of Time and deathbycooky15 for putting me on your favorite author list.


	12. Chapter XI: As Strange as it Seems

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Please please please don't kill me.

The Findings of Earth

*   *   *

"Who is Shakku?" Asked Kaoru.

"The man that made this sword and that gave me my first sword right after the battle of Toba Fushimi at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration"

*   *   *

Chapter XI As Strange as it Seems 

"What?" asked Kaoru after hearing Kenshin's answer.

Kenshin just kept silent for a few moments looking at the sword with his violet eyes. In a moment his whole world had change. He didn't fully understand what was happening but he did know that his live was more than he ever though of. He gave a little smile to himself, his lives where now different. He evened his breathing and ignored Kaoru for a few more moments. He now was presented with a very difficult choice. Either he was crazy and he was in his way to the mad house or he had lived before and he was now remembering his past life. As strange as it sounds Kenshin preferred the first one. If he was crazy then that was it, he'll soon be in a nice padded white room thinking whatever he wanted to think and with many doctors studying his hallucinations, he hope he'll make an interesting case. But if what he was seeing and felling was true and if he indeed had live another life then everything was even more complicated than before. It was one thing if he was the only one of this previous life involved in the new chaotic one, but he wasn't. He looked up and met her beautiful ocean blue eyes. She was involved too. There was no coincidence in their meeting, he now knew it was meant to be. The had meet in a previous life and… 

"Kenshin?" Asked Kaoru worried. "Are you listening to me? You spaced out"

"I'm sorry Kaoru" He said leaving his thoughts in the air and returning to the present. 

"I'm a little confused" She finally said after a while "If I don't recall badly, the battle of Toba Fushimi was…"

"One hundred and fifty years ago"

"But then…"

Kenshin took a deep breath, the decision had to be made. He knew that whether he liked it or not Kaoru was already involved. She too had some flashbacks and he knew that sooner or later she would figure out the truth for herself. 

"Kaoru what I'm about to tell you is going to sound really really crazy." He took a moment to look at her and notice the reaction in her face, she was smiling as softly and reassuringly as always. "Recently I've been having weird dreams and vision that I can't understand, sometimes I see some flashes and a thousand different images appear in my mind and as soon as I open my eyes I forget them. Some other times I have really strange  feelings like when I saw this sword or like when… when I saw you for the first time." Kenshin paused to take a breath and looked at Kaoru, her eyes were shining and her attention was completely on him. She open her mouth to speak but Kenshin did it first, he wanted to finish before she told him he was crazy. " Non of it made sense until tonight. After I practiced with the sword I could feel something… more like remember something, like I've always knew and I just needed a little push to remember it all. Now I know it was Hitten Mitserugi Ryu, a sword technique I used before… in my previous life."

*   *   *

The firs boss got on the car with four of his associates. It was the middle of the night and it was cold, there were a million places he preferred to be than in a car trying to find his elusive slave. Normally he wouldn't be out in a recapture mission, he left that  things to his men, but given the recent information and the fact that so far everyone had done a terrible job, he was forced to go out and do it himself. 

To say that he was frustrated was the understatement of the century. He had worked so hard and he was so close… but now the deal was falling apart thanks to those annoying children. He took a cigar out and started smoking, he needed to calm his nerves.  The smell of the fire as it lit up the cigarette always brought him old memories. You would have think that after all the cigarettes that he had smoked in his life the effect of the aroma would have worn out but it haven't.

His boss used to smoke too, every memory he had of him was filled with a gray cloud. That was a long time ago, back when he had a name and he was nobody's boss. He shocked his head trying to get rid of the old memories. Now was not the time for memory recall.

"First boss we are getting close"

He just nodded and looked out the window. Soon he would have them back in his custody,  the deal would be closed and everything would be fine. Soon he would recover his name. 

*   *   *

For a moment that seemed like an eternity in Kenshin's mind, the just stood there and stared at each other. 

Kaoru was having an identity crisis of her own. Every piece of new information he heard from Kenshin wasn't as new as it was supposed to be. She had a lot of the same experiences and could relate to them. She also had that weird sensation when she saw him for the same time and her heart screamed with joy because he had feel the same. She still have so many questions like how did she know the name of that move Kenshin executed. It was very confusing, she knew that there was something very weird going on but she didn't had an answer. But now Kenshin had giving her one. A pass life. What was that supposed to mean?  She wasn't sure if she believed in reincarnation or not, she never give it a lot of thought but now she had to face her doubts and made of her mind. Did she believe him? 

Kenshin stood in front of her, with red bangs falling in her face and those impossibly beautiful violet eyes staring straight to her. She only needed to look at hem to know what she needed to know.

"I believe you" 

Kenshin blinked a couple of time but never took his eyes off hers. 

"Thank you" He said while giving her a sweet smile. 

"I still have so many questions" She said.

"Yes I know, I haven't figure it all out."

"So do you know how where you at your past life?" She asked. She still was very clueless about everything but Kenshin seemed to have a better inside so he maybe knew more. 

"I don't exactly know. I know that I was a swordsman and that I used this sword but I don't know much more"

"And… what about me?" Kaoru asked with a curious  look on her face.

"I remember you but I don't know how you were…" He closed his eyes so he could think more clearly " It's very strange," He thought " I don't remember your voice or your face but I look at your eyes and I know you. Is like everything you are is revealed to me by just staring at those eyes and I just know everything… I have this feeling whenever I look at you and is like I remember how I used to fell  I remember I—"

"I love you" Said Kaoru. 

At the sound of her voice he opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. He didn't realized he was thinking out loud, that mean that she had heard every word, she knew how he felt, but she had also responded. She loved him. Before Kenshin had enough time to react he felt her soft lips on top of his giving him the sweetest kiss, and as his mouth parted and he felt her and tasted her he remembered.

Finally the kiss was broken and there eyes met again. Everything had change. A soft kiss had bring back memories of their love. Now even if they were lost in so many ways they had found each other. 

"I remember" She said as she put her arms around him.

"I remember too Kaoru and I love you too"

*   *   *

The first boss smiled. Kenshin was indeed a smart kid. He knew the business and the way the gang operated but he forgot that the first boss could also read his thinking. When he got the call telling him that his runaways had been spotted near a pastry shop he decided to investigate the neighborhood plans so he may had an idea of where they were. He soon recognized one of the houses there. The gang had done a job there and the house was currently empty. Kenshin knew about this, it was the perfect hide out. Now he was sitting in the car parked in front of the house and looking at it. Even at the late hour he could tell there was movement in the house. No lights were on of course. Kenshin was too smart for that, but now and then he could see a soft glow. A candle probably. He could tell that they had just moved to the second floor, they were probably ready to sleep.  He hated to interrupt but then again he actually didn't. 

"Let's go!" He said to his men a moments latter four heavily armed shadows were approaching the house. 

*   *   *

Kenshin and Kaoru were getting ready to sleep when Kenshin hard a sound. He carefully blow of the candle and approached the window. He mentally cursed as he saw the dark vehicle in front. He took Kaoru's hand and whispered.

"They found us"

Kaoru gasped but remained silent. She quickly got her things and took Kenshin's hand again. She had to trust him and she already did.

Kenshin took his sword and slowly opened the door. He could tell they were already in the house and on their way up. They were trapped.

Kenshin took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword, he would just have to fight them.  

He remained in the shadows and pushed Kaoru behind him. He looked at her one last time.

"Stay here" He said and then he moved so fast that Kaoru almost lost sight of him.  She could see his shadow and she saw how he jumped down the stairs to meet their attackers. Everything got chaotic from there. Kaoru lost sight of everything when she heard the first shot. At that moment her whole world stopped. She could only think of one thing. Kenshin. She forgot about everything else, her own safety or Kenshin's words, she just had to see if he was alright. 

Kenshin had already knocked one man out but as he heard the first shot he saw the gun the man was carrying. It wasn't a handgun, it was an M-16 one of the must powerful assault rifles there were.  

Kenshin took a deep breath, everything just got a lot more complicated. He knew there were another three men and they probably had the same weapons. 

He was about to pick up the mans' weapon when he heard a cry. He knew that voice and before he could even react he was running towards the sound, the gun forgotten in the floor. 

He stopped when he saw the sight on top of the stairs. Kaoru laid still and the first boss had one hand around her through. The heavy rifle rested by his side but instead he had a handgun pressed to her temple. Kaoru looked at Kenshin with wide eyes. First she was relieved that he was aright but then she couldn't help feeling ashamed and sorry. She had been caught.

Kaoru never lost eye contact with the beautiful violet of Kenshin's eyes. Then she tried to use her elbow to hit the attacker in the ribs and get free, but her efforts were futile since the first boss saw the blow coming and stopped it before it could connect. He then tightened the hold against Kaoru's throat  and closed hos mouth to her ear so he could whisper.

She shivered at the close contact but remained still.

"Try that again and your annoying friend over there will get his leg shot"

Kaoru stayed still, movement was out of the question, she didn't want Kenshin to get hurt.

"So I finally found my little and annoying servant, people tell me that you've become very skilled with the sword. We should test your abilities latter, they might come in handy, but for the mean time just stay still and drop your sword or I'll be force to harm this little lady at mi side."

Kaoru saw how Kenshin's beautiful violet eyes began to change shades. It happened in just a few seconds, but soon she was staring at a pair of amber eyes that looked coldly at the man beside her. The first boss also noticed the transformation. In all of the years he had known Kenshin he had never seen him do something like that. He never changed his expression and kept staring at Kenshin with the same cold eyes.

"Let her go" It was a simple command, he didn't even raise his voice when he said it but the tone of that voice was something the first boss had never heard and sent shivers down his spine.

"You know I can't do that, and you better just do as I tell you or I'll kill her. If you move I'll kill her." 

The remaining two men walked behind Kenshin and stood at a safe distance with their weapons pointed at him.

Kaoru could see the struggle in Kenshin's eyes. She noticed how the amber and amethyst fused, Kenshin didn't know what to do.

Finally Kenshin sheathed his sword and dropped it. The noise of the object hitting the ground was the only thing heard in a few moments.

"I'm so glad you finally want to cooperate Kenshin" Said the first boss braking the silence. "Now if you'll be so nice to cross your hands behind your back and let my men cuff you we'll be on our way."

Kenshin didn't bother to replay, he simply crossed his hands in his back and waited patiently until one of the men secured his wrists. He felt the cold metal close around his still injured wrist and bit into his skin. If he wanted he could have knocked that  man out, but he wasn't going to do anything that may endanger Kaoru. He knew they were getting captured again but there was nothing he could do, he wasn't about to risk Kaoru's safety. He would think of something later, when that man didn't had a gun at her head.  

"Don't go thinking that you'll be able to break this cuffs to. I got the strongest ones… and besides, I still have my insurance with me." 

With that said Kenshin felt was told to walk. He could feel the men's guns still pointed at him. Kaoru and The first boss were the last to exit the house and head to the car. 

One of the mean reached the car and open one of the back doors and then opened the truck. 

"Inside!" He screamed at Kenshin.

He gave Kaoru one last look before doing as he was told. He looked at the first boss.

"If you harm her in any way I'll kill you"

Then he lowered himself and felt the hood being closed on top of him. 

Kaoru looked at him with sympathetic eyes and the was shoved inside the car. 

"What about Alex?" Asked one of the men.

"Leave him" Answer the first boss "When he wakes up he'll come to the house"

With that said the car started. Kenshin felt the movement and tried to get himself as comfortable as he could in the small space. It wasn't the first time he was forced to travel this way and he thanked that his body was small so it wasn't even more painful. He sighted, his taste of freedom didn't last long, but now he knew he'll do everything he could to get free again or at least let his Kaoru get as far away from this people as he could. He had finally found something he didn't thought existed, he had found love and he wasn't going to loose it. 

*   *   *

**A/N:**  This chapter was a little longer than usual so I hope you can use that to forgive me about my long updates. 

Hope you liked it, please let me know what you think. ^_^x

AiteanE the first bosses parts were for you. I hope you liked them. You are right, I should work more in the boss personality I know he seems kind of distant and I'll try to change that. Some of it is intentional I don't want to reveal their true propose just yet. 

**Thanks for reviewing: **

**Jason M Lee **(Thanks for the sword tips),  **Yukimi, Val, Fuuko-san **(even if it takes me forever, I'm finishing this fic), **Kaoru: Kawaii Sakura, Yume Kuroi, Kaoru Himura, Aloani, Gypsy-chan, omochi, Lysee-chan **(un fanart para mi fic????? Enserio???? No sabes lo feliz que me hace nadie nunca me ha hecho un fanart y yo no lo puedo hacer porque no se dibujar… Muchas Gracias!!!!) **AiteanE** (Thanks for your comments (they helped a lot) and I'm also curios as how is your view of hell since I tried to do the opposite of the normal view in my fic.), **Sabrina-star, Haru **(I hope you are not too depress, sorry), **Chiki **(I won I won!!!! Thanks for voting for me!), **Angelin, SVZ, The*Spangled*Pandemonium **(wow you make me blush) **and Thacila **(thanks for your mails)

**Special thanx to: **HyprLyndrFlwr and kamma for putting me in your favorite author list!!!!


	13. Chapter XII: I Remember

A/N: Late as always… there is no excuse. Hope you'll like it. 

Special thanks to Gaby for making me a beautiful fanart for this story. You'll be able to see it as soon as we can figure out where to put it. 

**Warning:** This chapter is dark, the boss has Kenshin in his hands one more time and he is not happy with him. 

On with the fic…

The Findings of Earth 

From last chapter:

He sighted, his taste of freedom didn't last long, but now he knew he'll do everything he could to get free again or at least let his Kaoru get as far away from this people as he could. He had finally found something he didn't thought existed, he had found love and he wasn't going to loose it.

Chapter XII 

I Remember

Kaoru sat still between the two men in the moving car. She kept her eyes fixed in front and her face blank. She looked even bored, but if someone looked very closely they could see the worry in her eyes. While she was riding comfortably in the back of the car Kenshin was trapped in the trunk. Every time theca jumped, even a little bit, Kaoru held her breath thinking about Kenshin and how every turned in the road affected him. 

"It really is a wonderful sword" Said the first boss looking at the silver weapon in his hand. "but useless if you ask me, a reverse blade! How much damage can anyone do with that?"

Kaoru closed her eyes and refused to answer. Somehow that statement sounded old, like she had heard it a million times before. Yesterday that may had come as a shock to her, but now she knew that she had lived another live and that for some reason she was being able to remember it. She never though much about the meaning of life or what was suppose to happen once you died, but now she believed in reincarnation and she was sure she was not crazy. When she saw him for the first time she had felt something, even if she couldn't put words into it, she knew it. She had loved him before and she had died loving him, that's why when they found each other they were able to remember. Her memory of those days way before were like a dream, not really clear and some times didn't even make sense. She was amazed she was even able to remember this much, but she knew she would remember more later, it was her destiny.  

The first boss was still holding Kenshin's sword in his hand playing with it, admiring everything about it.

"It looks old… I wonder how was Kenshin able to get something like this"

Kaoru ignored the man once again. She was in no mood to talk to the person responsible for hurting Kenshin the way he did. The first boss wasn't impressed by the girl's silence, it wasn't time to talk yet, the only thing that mattered was that he had her and Kenshin again, so now his plan could continue.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence until finally they came to a street that Kaoru recognized as the one they used to escape. The car slowly stopped in front of a black gate. Soon the gate open and the car pulled in. 

"Welcome back" Said the firs boss with a mockery tone in his voice. 

Kaoru slowly exited the vehicle as one of the men grabbed her by the arm. 

"Otto take her to a cell in the first basement. Jason, help me take Kenshin down"

Kaoru's heart jumped in her chest at the mention of him. She stopped moving and Otto had to drag her inside.

"No! Wait, I have to see him!" She said as she was being led away.

"There'll be time for that later" Said the first boss and with that she was drag inside to the same cell she occupied before a red headed named Kenshin entered her life. 

The metal door closed and Kaoru watched Otto leave from behind the bars. She stood as close to it as she could, griping the iron bars in her hand strongly. She knew Kenshin would have to go through there, so she kept her eyes in the dark corridor hoping to see him again. Her heart jumped once more when she heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Without moving her eyes she began a silent prayer. _"Please let him be ok, please don't let them hurt him to much, please don't let him die… I love him too much, please…" _

Déjà Vu would be the best way to describe what happened next. Kenshin came rolling down the stairs with his hands cuffed behind his back. The first boss, Otto and Jason were behind him kicking him and dragging him. Kenshin remained silent; he made no sound to acknowledge the pain he was surely in. Like history was repeating itself, Kenshin looked up from the floor to meet Kaoru´s worried face. He managed to give her a soft smile before he received a kick in the side.

"You good for nothing thug! What do you think you are doing? You better stop hurting him or you are going to pay!!"

Jason just laughed at Kaoru's words.

"And how is a skinny girl like you going to do that? You better keep that pretty mouth silent, or I may find some other use for it!"

The first boss was the only one who saw it. Kenshin moved so quickly that Jason couldn't understand what was going on or why was it so difficult to breathe. The voice that spoke to him froze him in the spot; it was so cold that he knew it would give him nightmares for days to come.

"You better apologize to her and take back everything you said or you'll never speak again… I'll make sure of it"

The man began to shake; he felt that the chain around his neck wasn't so tight and that he could speak. 

"I'm... I'm… sorry… I take back everything I said… I'm sorry! Don't kill me please!"

With that the first boss woke up to the world again and decided to take action. He took his gun out and pointed to Kaoru.

"Kenshin let him go or I'll kill her… you know I will"

Kenshin looked ant the first boss with his amber eyes. He could fell Kaoru next to him, looking with her pleading eyes and asking him silently to let him go.

"I'm not afraid" She said, but it wasn't directed to the first boss and his gun, those words were meant for Kenshin, she wanted him to know that no mater who he was, she was not afraid. She had loved him before and she loved him now, she understood the darkest parts of him and loved them just the same. Every part of him made the Kenshin she loved and he wouldn't be the same without them. 

"Kenshin let him go. He is not worth going back to hell." 

Kenshin released his hold and Jason fell to his feet. His eyes were slowly turning back to their usual color and he fixed them in Kaoru before he was shoved down the stairs.

"I think I remember" He whispered as he fell. 

"Yes, I think I remember too."

*   *   *

The old second basement, Kenshin thought, the solitary felt like home to him in a weird kind of way. He hit the floor hard with his knees but was able to put his hands before he could hit his face too. 

"Kenshin I must say that you have really surprise me. I've never seen someone able to get his cuffed hands in front of him and assault the man holding him with them in less than a second, it's really impressive."

Kenshin didn't even look up at the boss. What he did he did to save Kaoru, his instincts took over and he almost did something they could regret forever. 

"Now you'll understand that we can't have this type of things go unpunished. Kenshin you did many things wrong. You escaped, took my hostage, hided, attacked the men I sent to retrieve you and most recently the incident with Jason." The first boss walked towards where Kenshin laid on the floor and roughly grasped his hair and made Kenshin look at him. "don't ever forget that I raised you, I took you in and taught you everything you know. You owe me kid and all I ask for you is obedience!" The last word was emphasized with a punch in the face. 

"Hang him!" Said the boss.

Soon Otto and a still sore Jason took Kenshin by the hands and raised them above his head. The chain was attached to a hook in the ceiling and Kenshin was forced to stand in that awkward position. 

Kenshin kept his eyes on the men but let them do what they wanted. He was not about to fight them then. He had just discovered something very important to him and he needed to think about it. For as long as he could remember he had been alone, but now he had someone and he knew that his actions would not only affect him but also the person he loved the most… Kaoru. 

The first boss had the pleasure to deliver the first blow and then Otto and Jason joined him. Kenshin remained still and silent. He had learned a lot of tings while he was away from that awful place. He now knew what freedom was and he was no longer afraid to fight for his, but he had also discovered love, and as long as they had Kaoru he would not fight back.

"Stop" Ordered the first boss after about half an hour. "I need him to recuperate fast. I have a job for him"

"I won't do it" Said Kenshin with a strong voice. Silence filled the room for a few moments before the sound of flesh hitting flesh broke it. 

"What do you mean by that?" Asked the first boss "You belong to me kid and you'll do as I say!"

Kenshin spat some blood and then looked at the first boss in the eyes.

"No I won't. I won't work for you again. I'm done."

He waited for another blow to come but it didn't happen. The first boss just looked at him with an amused expression in his face. 

"And since when are you able to decide what you can and can not do? You still belong to me. Remember the girl waiting in a cell upstairs. She is mine, and as long as I have her you will obey me!"

Kenshin kept his head high but slowly nodded. There was no way he would risk Kaoru's safety. 

"I will" He said.

"That's what I thought" Said the first boss and then turned to leave. The men followed and soon Kenshin was locked in the darkness hanging by his arms because he no longer had the strength to stand.

The first boss climbed the stairs slowly. As soon as he reached the firs basement he was met by the angry look in his captive face. He ignored her, opened the door to her cell and walked in closing it behind him. 

"Where is Kenshin? 2Kaoru asked the man standing in front of her.

"He is in the solitary obviously" Said the man as he took a cigarette out of his pocket and lighted it. 

"Why?" 

"Because he is my property. I need him, he is great warrior but sadly he has some bad habits that need to be broken. I need to… train him in the proper way."

"Train him!" Screamed Kaoru full of rage "He isn't an animal you can train and he is not your property! He is a free person and you have no right to treat him the way you do!"

The first boss just looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"Silly girl, I'm not going to argue with you about this, Kenshin is mine, end of story. Now I have some important business to discuss with you. The last time you were here you left rather quickly so we didn't have time to talk. Now we can do that." The first boss walked to the bed and sat on top of it. "Please sit down"

Kaoru looked at him with despise in her eyes.

"I rather stand"

"As you wish. First of all let me say how sorry I am for the loss of your father, his fate was sadly unavoidable."

Kaoru tighten her fists and took a deep breath but remained silent. She wasn't going to give him the pleasure to see her cry or to scream at him in rage. 

 "He stole something very valuable to my employer and he wants it back"

Kaoru didn't believe him. Her father was no thief she knew that.

"We searched your home but it wasn't there. Finally we decided to ask your father, at first he didn't want to cooperate but after we explained him that the safety of his precious daughter was at stake he told us it was in a safe box in a bank. Only two persons have access to that box. Your father and you, but since he is dead you are going to have to go to the bank and retrieve it for us."

Kaoru's head was a mess. She didn't understand anything. She couldn't believe that his father kept so many things from her and that he had stolen something. It took her some time to get her thoughts in order. She knew her father; he was an honest and good man. The first boss said he stole something, if he did it probably was for the best. Whatever he stole must be important and it shouldn't be in the hands of people like that gang. His father was killed for it, he gave his life trying to protect it and she would not dishonor him by giving it to the first boss. 

"I'm sorry but I won't"

"Don't be foolish little girl, we are not playing with you!"

"I know that, I've seen what you do to your own people, don't think I don't know the consequences of my decision. I have thought about it and I won't help you in any way!"

The first boss saw in her face that she was not bragging and that treat wouldn't get him what he wanted so he tried a different approach.

"After you do this for us you'll be free to leave I will have no reason to keep you here"

"Or to keep me alive." She said "I'm not a fool and I don't believe a word you've said.  After you have what you want you'll kill me, just as you killed my father."

The first boss was irritated and let his fake politeness fall. He stood and slapped Kaoru in the face. She was caught by surprise and the blow sent her to the floor. 

"You will help me one way or another." 

With that said he exited the cell leaving the door open.

"Bring her" He said to the ever present Otto and Jason and then he walked to the solitary. 

*   *   *

He heard the door being open. He slowly steadied his feet and raised his head. He wondered why were they back so soon. The bright light of the corridor hit his face and he closed his eyes. He opened them again slowly getting used to the brightness. 

What he saw wasn't what he expected. 

Kaoru felt scared as the men rushed her down. She was sure that they would do to her the same thing they did to Kenshin. Her face still hurt and she was trying to calm herself mentally. She knew something worst was about to happen but she wouldn't help them no matter what. 

They reached a steal door that the first boss opened. What she saw inside made her gasp. Kenshin was in there beaten and bloody. His hands were cuffed on top of his head making him stand in an awkward and obviously painful position.

He saw her standing in front of her with a terrified look on her face.  Her eyes were trying to hold a tear that threatened to fall. 

The first boss walked to Kaoru, pulled her arms back and held her near the door looking at Kenshin.

"Proceed" He said.

Moments latter the Otto and Jason were punching and hitting Kenshin. He remained silent and his eyes were focus on Kaoru every moment he could. 

Kaoru gasped and open her eyes to tell them to stop but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. 

"He never screams or pleads to stop. It's a shame." Said the first boss. "But you have the power to make it stop. Just say the word. You have a choice here. Either you help us or you watch him get tortured. This could go for days. We have done it before and if Jason and Otto get tired there are always other men available."

"Stop" Said Kaoru in a whisper, tears now falling freely on her face. "I'll do what you want."

"Stop" Screamed the first boss. "Let's go"

The left the solitary and Kenshin and locked Kaoru again in her cell. 

_"I'm sorry father" _She thought as she cried herself to sleep. 

*   *   *

The first boss closed the door to his office. He had a bright smile on his face and Kenshin's sword in his hand. He liked the sword; he would keep it for himself, even if he didn't know how to use it. He put it in a corner and then sat on the desk as he took another cigarette from his pocket. After it was lit he opened his cell phone and made the call.

"Yes" Said the voice at the other end.

"Sir we've found them"

"and the ring?"

"We are going to the bank tomorrow"

"Well done" said the voice. "I expect the girl and the ring in my office as soon as you have it."

"Yes sir"

"I also want the kid. I decided I'll buy him."

"Sir I'm sorry but I can't sell him for the price we discussed earlier. I've learned recently that he is more valuable than I thought"

"That's fine; I'll pay what you ask. I want him deliver tomorrow too."

"Perfect sir but I must warn you that he is not in perfect shape right now, but is nothing permanent so you don't need to worry."

"Can he still fight?"

"Yes sir, is only temporary, a few bruises and scratches. He heals extremely fast so he'll be useful very soon."

"I hope so or there'll be consequences."

"I understand sir"

"See you tomorrow"

"Yes s-"

The connection was terminated before the first boss had time to finish the sentence. He put the phone away and smiled again, it had been a good day.

*   *   *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I hope you liked it. I want to thank every one that reviewed even if I took so long to update. I'm now looking for someone who would be interested in being my beta reader. If you are please sent me a mail at vivi_t22@hotmail.com  so we cal talk. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think!

Thanks for reviewing: **Omochi, Fuuko-san, Red Ninja, Jaina, Sabrina-star, Naomi, Gypsy-chan, JML, Mistress of time** (thanks for the gift), **Momori **(Thanks for _all _the reviews!), **RK-128, SVZ** (please don't torture me), **Tree Nymph** (Yes I have noticed that too and I'm trying to tone it down… I hope I did it in this chapter.  thanks!), **Chiki **(Congratulations to you too!!!!!),  **Lynx, ****CrazyFireKitsuneGirl, anonymous, Saiyagirl** (I'm actually looking for a beta-reader, are you interested?), **Uenki** (you have read my story twice? Really? I'm so honored!) and **faye** (thaks a lot, hope you got my mail).

*****Special thanks to:**  Momori, CrazyFireKitsuneGirl, RK-128, Uenki and Chiki for putting me in your favorite author list!


	14. Chapter XIII: A Moment Passing

A/N: Here is the next chapter, it's kind of short, sorry and I'm sorry it took so long but my friend brought me the new Harry Potter book (that you can't get here in Colombia) and that made this chapter be a week late, sorry again.

I want this dedicate this chapter to JP my new beta-reader (thanks a lot for everything!!!!) who corrected the chapter and pressured me to get it out sooner.

The Findings of Earth

Chapter XIII

A Moment Passing

Kenshin was hanging limply from the chains in the middle of the room. His eyes were closed and his breathing was forced. He was trying to regulate it but fresh waves of pain attacked him with every breath he took. He was tired, he felt like all of his energy had abandoned his body but he forced himself to stand again, his wrists couldn't take the pressure anymore. After gathering all of his strength he slowly planted his feet firmly on the ground and balanced himself. He breathed a sigh of relief after the horrible pain in his wrist faded a little. He was worried. He didn't understood what had happened a few minutes ago when the first boss had entered the room with Kaoru. Something was very wrong, he knew that and he needed to help. Kaoru was his life and he couldn't let anything happen to her. He tried to think of other things, to get his mind to concentrate on something other than the pain. Physical pain was bearable; it wasn't new to him and not only in this life. He had been remembering things from before, just moments in time without a specific order. He knew who he was in the past. He had been a killer before, he had tried to pay for his sins, he had found her and she had given him all the happiness he could ever hope for. But he had remembered something else as he was thrown in the solitary cell something that didn't belong to the land of the living. She had been there with him every step of the way and now it was up to him, to them to make it through another life together again. Kaoru was locked in a cell and he was going to get her out no matter what. He would use all of his strength to fight for her, even if sometimes that strength scared even him. That barely controlled cold anger he felt whenever she was in danger and the need to protect her. It was a bolt of deadly energy that ran through his system and he knew he had the power and that the fate of the men in front of him would be decided by him. His thoughts were running wild, he didn't want to become that cold person, the feelings he had when he transformed into him were overwhelming, he didn't want to feel like that again but then… maybe there was no other option, if the alternative was jeopardizing Kaoru's safety he would gladly give up his sanity and his soul. 

_"Kenshin your path was and always will be the one of a warrior but your destiny is to be with your soul mate. In your next life you will also be a warrior but the choices you made are the ones that would make your next life different from the last."_

The words spoken by a soft voice reached his mind but there was no other sound.  It took him a couple of moments to realize that it was a memory. He had heard them before in the limbo just before being reborn. He was a warrior and it was his path. The words were a revelation. His mind, or more accurately his soul had kept that information until he was ready to hear it and understand it, and he understood. He was Kenshin and he had to fight as him and not Battousai. He had the strength to do it and a soul mate to help him through it. 

*   *   *

Kaoru had her eyes closed and was trying with all of her strength to fall asleep. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't let her mind rest. The events of the day had been a lot and she just couldn't make herself forget them and go on a trip to dream land. It just wasn't right; she couldn't stop thinking of Kenshin and how she had seen him. He looked so vulnerable, tied up and beaten. She felt a lone tear fall from her closed eyes. She would have given anything just to hold Kenshin close and make him feel better. She had her memories back, she remembered so much from her past life and she knew in her heart that even though Kenshin was the strongest person she knew, he was just a human being, no matter how amazing he seemed to be. She knew Kenshin better than anyone could ever know another because she had a direct look at his soul and it was his soul she was going to save. There was this soft unknown but familiar voice in her head that spoke the same words over and over again. This voice wasn't speaking to her and although she heard no reply she knew that the words were directed at Kenshin.

_"There is only one way your soul would ever be allowed to enter heaven. Kaoru's soul is linked to you. You got out of hell because you were together and that is the only way you'll ever get to heaven"_

Heaven seemed such a strange concept. Heaven, a place where you go when you had been good, where you could hopefully be surrounded by the souls of those you would learned to love and maybe live with, as the stories told, happily ever after. As far as she could remember in her foggy memories heaven was just a fairy tale. For her it only brought back a sense of loneliness that was far greater that any other feeling she could have. Some thing was missing in her heaven and she wasn't going to let that piece of her heart leave her. But even if her thoughts of that place were as hollow as they could be, she felt it was her duty to go back there and complete her destiny, this time with the missing part of her soul by her side. 

*   *   *

Morning came in the safe house and by then Kaoru had managed to silently cry herself to sleep. She opened her eyes when she heard the loud sound of the door being opened. For a few seconds she was confused and her brain worked hard to figure out where she was. The memories came to her soon enough and she quickly got to her feet. She passed her hand through her hair and tried to rearrange the pony tail she wore as best as she could. 

The first boss was standing at the door in a confident stance and a happy smile on his face.  Kaoru stood silently waiting for him to approach. 

"Today is the day" He said as one of his men unlocked the door of her cell. "I can see that we are not in a talking mood, that's ok, I guess you are just 'sad' because we are going to part soon."

Kaoru gave the man the best glare she could do before saying:

"You really don't think I'm naïve enough to believe that you are going to let me go. Please don't insult me."

"Oh no my dear girl, I can assure you I'm not lying when I say I won't be seeing your pretty face much longer." He walked to her and took her chin in his hand so she was forced to look him in the eyes. Kaoru didn't say a word but the fire in her eyes showed how much she truly despised the man in front of her. 

"Such a fierce girl," He said as he released her "since you demanded in such a nice way I'll tell you the truth. I sold you."

Kaoru's eyes widened with his words and for a couple of moments she wondered if she had heard correctly. 

"What do you mean by sold? I'm not a property to be sold!"

"That is where you are mistaken little girl. I own you, or used to own you, just like I used to own Kenshin. But don't look so sad, look at the bright side; at least you'll both be slaves to the same master." And with those words he exited the cell.

Slave. The word remained imprinted in her mind and she couldn't think about anything else. Slave. That was what she had become? In those new and modern times they were turning her into a slave! She just followed the first boss silently as her mind refused to accept the idea that her fate was sealed and that she should give up. She refused to give up, it was her life and she was not going to let anyone rule it for her. 

She was brought to a room in one of the upper levels. It was a nice place, nicer that anything she had seen in the safe house, but considering she had been locked in a cell that wasn't much to say. The room had a really nice green rug in the middle that covered part of the wooden floor. A beautiful desk stood in the back and behind it was a big leather chair. The first boss walked in and sat behind the desk. 

"Bring Kenshin!" He said to one of the men "And restrain him properly." 

Otto left the room wordlessly and Kaoru could see him gathering another three men before heading downstairs.

Kaoru stood in silence with her eyes glued to the door. She ignored the rest of the room and just waited for Kenshin to walk through the door. She didn't have to wait long.

Kenshin was pushed harshly into the room and he had to use all of his strength to keep his balance. Kaoru gasped at the sight of him. He was covered in dry blood and bruises. Some of his hair had come away from his ponytail and fell freely over his face. His lips were broken and swollen and his distinctive scar was covered in blood. His hands were cuffed behind his back, a chain was attached to them and one of the men held it like a leash. His feet were also shackled to each other by a chain that allowed enough room to walk but not to run. 

Kenshin allowed his eyes to inspect the room for a moment and his eyes found his sword resting on top of the desk. He moved his eyes quickly and met Kaoru's after that. She wasn't harmed or scared but she was worried for him. Those blue depths also showed her faith in him and that she knew he would get them out of there. 

Kaoru knew Kenshin was hurt, anyone could see that, but she also saw in his eyes that he was ready for anything and that his mind was already thinking of a way to escape.  For a single moment his eyes left hers and she followed them to his sword. She hadn't noticed it before. Her eyes met Kenshin's eyes again and immediately understood. 

"Well now that we are all here," said the first boss from his seat behind the desk "I can explain the itinerary of the day. The first stop is the bank. I will personally escort Miss Kaoru inside the bank where she will identify herself and use this key to open the safe box we need."

"Where did you get that?" asked Kaoru looking at the small silver key in the first boss' hand.

"After some… how do we put it?... persuasion techniques, your father kindly told us where to find this key. Now if there are no more questions… Miss Kaoru will retrieve our object and behave properly inside the bank. Any misconduct will have its repercussions" He stopped and glanced meaningfully at Kenshin before he continued. "Once we have everything we need we will deliver you both to your new home and then you won't be my responsibility any longer." Kenshin thought about those words for a moment. A new home, where could that be, he thought the first boss would never let him leave, not even to go to another prison. The voice of the first boss stopped his thoughts. "Kenshin I have to remind you to keep your impulses under control and do not try any more stunts. It would be most unfortunate to punish that beautiful girl for such a meaningless attempt. Now if we are ready…"  

"Actually" said Kaoru "Since you are selling us to someone, I want to suggest you let Kenshin keep his sword, it's no use to you."

"I shall repeat your own words to you little girl. You surely don't think I am that naive… please don't insult me."

"If you think that I'm looking out for you here you are mistaken." She said "I can only assume that this buyer wants Kenshin for his skills, so he will probably send him out on missions and I know he can perform better with his sword… I don't want to see him hurt. "

"And why would I care if he gets hurt?"

"I guess you wouldn't, and believe me that nothing would make me happier than seeing this buyer unleash his anger on you if Kenshin fails a mission, but the cost is much too high, Kenshin's well being is above everything."

The first boss rose from his chair and walked towards her. He stood just in front of her watching her silently.

"It would be unfortunate to displease my client" He said after a while "But that isn't enough motivation to let go off this sword. It's magnificent… but I'll be willing to do this for you if you do something for me."

Kaoru just met his eyes with a defiant look and refused to ask what he wanted. He saw this and smiled softly. 

"I want a goodbye kiss."

Kenshin who had been silent and still throughout the whole conversation moved with impossible speed for someone restrained as he was. He stood between Kaoru and the first boss sending him a silent threat. The men moved to get him out of the way but the first boss stopped them with a simple movement of his hand. 

"Oh Kenshin you are so possessive. Remember she is not yours… or mine… she has a new owner but until I deliver her I'll let the lady decide if she wants to take up my offer. You know I don't like to force anyone into anything."

That was it! Kenshin could feel the little control he had slipping fast. He was one second away from attacking the man in front of him without even thinking about the chains around his body. Then a soft touch on his shoulder took all the anger away and he was capable again to take control of his emotions. Kaoru's hand remained on his shoulder a moment longer and she gave him a gentle squeeze before she took it away. She then stepped from behind Kenshin and stood beside him looking at the first boss.

"I accept" She simply said and waited for him to make the first move.

The first boss smiled and approached her slowly, he closed his eyes as he pressed his lips on hers. Kaoru's eyes remained open and she tried to look at Kenshin and forget the rough lips on top of hers. 

Kenshin could see her clear blue eyes shadowed with unsheathed tears and he closed his fists with so much force that his nails cut his skin. No matter how many things the first boss had done to him in his short life, the beatings, the starvation and the loneliness, nothing compared to what he was forced to see. This was torture. 

It seemed forever before the first boss slowly moved away from Kaoru moaning in pleasure. 

"Mmmmm that was fantastic" He said as he opened his eyes. "Your new owner will be pleased."

Kaoru's fingers brushed Kenshin's leg effectively stopping him from doing anything thoughtless.

"Now" Said the first boss after a moment "we are ready to go"

He walked to the desk and grabbed the sword before exiting the room. Otto grabbed Kaoru roughly by the arm and followed his boss. Kenshin was dragged behind her.  

When they arrived at the garage a large black car was waiting for them with the doors and the trunk open.

"You are not putting him in the trunk again!" said Kaoru trying to help Kenshin in anyway she could. 

"Well it would be really suspicious if we go around with a beaten, bloodied and shackled boy in plain view…..won't it?"

Before Kaoru could argue any more Kenshin stepped forward and slowly walked to the car trunk.

"It's ok Kaoru" He said speaking for the first time in the day. "Don't worry, I'm used to it."

And with that said he managed to get in the trunk without any help. 

"See?" Said the first boss with a smug look on his face "He likes it"

The loud sound of the trunk closing interrupted anything Kaoru would like to say so she only sighed and silently prayed that Kenshin would be fine.

*   *   *

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorry I can't thank you personally for your reviews but fanfiction.net erased most of them, I don't know why but I read all of them in my mail. Thanks a lot to everyone!!!!

**Special thanks to: Ginger1280, Tyriel1, Lil DragonLex, dark hope1, Jamfase, Adam Thomas, Chibi Fyrefly, Misao Mei Mei, artemismoon23, Moon Baby1, Evil Older Sister and Ruriko2 for putting me in your favorite author list!  That meand the world to me, thanks!!!!**


	15. Chapter XIV: Now What?

A/N: Here is Chapter XIV, I really hope you like it.

A big Thank you to JP my wonderful beta reader!

The Findings of Earth

By Misanagi

Chapter XIV

Now What?

It was not a long ride. Kaoru saw the bank at the corner and her hands started to shake involuntarily. 

_"Calm yourself Kaoru! You need to be strong" _

She opened her eyes as the car stopped before the bank. The first boss turned around and looked at her. 

"You need to behave. Remember Kenshin is here and he's not going anywhere until we both come out ok?"

Kaoru nodded and followed the first boss from the car into the bank. Otto went in with them gripping Kaoru's arm harshly. The bank was a beautiful place. She had never been inside one that looked so stunning. The wooden floor was shining and the tall ceiling had ten big lamps illuminating the room. Wooden desks were all over the place and in one of the far walls was a big crafted door. The first boss walked confidently to one of the desks and sat in one of the leather chairs in front of it. Otto seated Kaoru and remained standing by her side. 

"Good morning" said the man behind the desk. He was a middle age man, probably in his fifties. His hair was brown but gray hairs were visible near his ears revealing that he was loosing his natural color fast. He had a thick moustache with grey eyes behind big glasses.

"What can I do for you today?"

"We want to open a safe box" said the first boss.

"Very well, I need the number of the box please" 

"Number 356367742B"

The man typed something into his computer and read the information on the screen for a few moments before speaking again. 

"This is a secure box" He said finally "Only two people can open it, and as I see one of them is deceased, murdered… so only his daughter can open it."

"She is the daughter" said the first boss gesturing towards Kaoru.

"May I see some ID?"

_"ID?" _Thought Kaoru _"I don't have a thing, everything I own was in my house and everything got lost when I was kidnapped, I have no ID"_

"I…" started Kaoru but was interrupted by the first boss as he spoke again. 

"Here" he said taking something out of his pocket. "She is a bit distracted you see, after all that had happened…"

"Yes I understand" said the man looking at the ID card and at Kaoru from behind his glasses. "Very well" he said finally "follow me."

The man walked to the far wall until he was standing before the big doors. 

"Only the lady can enter the vault" he said.

"I have to go with her" said the first boss. "My niece gets nervous when she is alone, you know after what happened…"

The man thought for a moment and then looked at Kaoru. 

"If that is alright with you" he said finally. Kaoru only nodded and then the man told the two guards in front of the door to open it.

"Wait here" said the first boss to Otto and then grabbed Kaoru and followed the man inside. They walked into an elevator. Every door they walked through they had to get clearance from two guards stationed in front of it. Kaoru was amazed by the high security. She understood why the gang couldn't just walk in and steal whatever was inside the box. Finally they arrived at the last door and they walked into a long vault. 

"Wait here" said the man and then disappeared through a door only to come back shortly with the security box in his hands.

"I hope you have the key" said the man, the first boss nodded and then the bank employee put the box on a table in front of them. 

"I'll give you some privacy" he said as he exited the room. "Just tell me when you are done and don't forget to close the box again."

When the first boss was sure the man had left he extracted a key from his pocket and inserted it in the keyhole. 

"This is it" he thought before turning the key "This is where it ends" 

But things didn't go as the first boss wanted them to. He tried to turn the key over and over again but it didn't work. 

"No way, no way, no way!" he said. He tried a few more times and then he noticed Kaoru looking at him.

"Where is the key?" he demanded as he shocked her hard. 

"I don't know" she said "How should I know? My father never told me about this."

"You are going to tell me or you are going to die!"

*   *   *

The two men remaining inside the car sat and chatted pleasantly while waiting for the first boss to come out. Meanwhile Kenshin lay in the back of the trunk trying to concentrate on how to get his hands in front of himself because they were getting really sore since they were shackled beneath his whole body. 

"Look at what the first boss left here" said the man seating behind the wheel "This is a great sword" he said as he lifted it "and heavy"

"You are just weak; if the kid can hold it then we can too. Let me see." The man gave him the sword and the second one had to admit that it was in fact really heavy.

"I wonder how the kid does it" he said "he looks so skinny"

Kenshin grinned in the dark of the trunk as he was finally able to put his cuffed hands in front of him and heard the words spoken by the man. _"I do have muscles"_ he thought.

Suddenly he heard the opening of the door and someone getting into the car.

"Did you get it boss?" one of the men asked.

"Go!" he said simply and the car started. After driving for a while in the silence the driver finally asked.

"So where to?"

"Get us to the delivery point" And those were the last words spoken during the whole drive.

The delivery point was an alley behind a warehouse. It had nothing in particular, it was dirty and surrounded by boxes and dumpsters. When they arrived the place was empty.

"Good" said the first boss as he exited the vehicle and all the others followed taking Kaoru with them.

Otto following his boss's previous orders opened the trunk, but as soon as he did it he received a hard kick in the face. Otto fell to the ground unconscious. The first boss didn't notice right away but Kaoru did. She didn't know what possessed her but her elbow just hit the nose of the man behind her and he was the one holding Kenshin's sword in his hand. The sword hit the floor as the man brought up both his hands to his broken nose.

Kaoru ducked before the other men beside her had time to react and she grabbed Kenshin's sword.

_"Its heavy" She thought as she used it to knock out one of the men with a move she soon recognized as Kamiya Kashin Ryu._

Meanwhile Kenshin had gotten himself out of the trunk and grabbed Otto's gun. He shoot at his chains. The bullet broke the chains around his feet so he could now move even thought his hands where still cuffed.

The sound of the gun was what finally made the first boss react. He ran towards Kaoru but Kenshin had enough time to get beside her. He raised his cuffed hands and pointed the gun towards the first boss. 

"You know that I'm a really good marksman. I don't have to kill you to stop you" he said in an ice cold voice but Kaoru knew Kenshin was still in control. The coldness in his voice was planned.

The first boss smiled and raised his hands.  Meanwhile the driver had exited the car and was trying to sneak up to Kenshin but he didn't think about Kaoru who was still holding Kenshin's sword in her hands. She was moving before her conscious mind realized what he was doing. The still sheathed sword landed on the driver shoulder bone and he fell to the floor in pain dropping his gun on the way.

Kenshin was distracted for a moment by that and the boss tried to use that to take advantage of the situation.

By the time the first boss thought to move his hand to the waistband where his gun was resting, Kenshin was already charging at him with full speed. He used the hilt of the gun to knock the man down. The first boss soon kissed the ground. Kenshin ran towards Kaoru and smiled softly as he remembered the strength she possessed. Kaoru picked the gun of the ground and pointed it to the driver who was still in the ground holding his wound in pain.

"Kaoru I need you to shoot the chain in these cuffs"

"What?"

"Just point and shoot. I need my hands." Kenshin put his hands before him and Kaoru rested the sword that she was still holding near Kenshin. He held the gun firmly with both hands and made the tip of the gun rest on top of the chain. She closed her eyes for a moment but opened them quickly. If she was going to do that, her eyes would remain open and in her mark.

A second shot was heard in the alley and soon Kenshin had his hands free. He cleaned his gun with his shirt and threw it on the floor. He did the same with the one Kaoru was holding and then picked up his sword.

"Okay, let's go, you drive" He said pointing it to the driver that was still on the floor.

He nodded and got of the floor. He was still in pain but he had no wish to contradict Kenshin. Kaoru closed the trunk and soon climbed in the back seat of the car. Kenshin stepped into the passenger seat and the driver speeded up the car. 

"Where are we going?" he asked after a moment.                                                          

"Just drive for now, we need to have a little talk Ian"

"Hey kid chill out. I know we haven't been getting along in the past you know that it's just the way things are"

"Shut up. Now I want to know everything you know about the first boss and this deal he has going on" Ian wasn't brave and had no sense of loyalty so he decided to speak pretty quickly.

"I don't know much…"

"Talk" said Kenshin simply.

"Well as far as I know the first boss had a call from a new client. He was offered a lot of money for the job. It was that job I was in when you got tossed into solitary the last time."

"The job to get Kaoru. Was that job and the one I screwed up connected?"

"No, those were different jobs. It was just coincidence that they were in the same night. Anyway… "he continued when he saw the look in Kenshin's eyes "That was the first job. Get the key, kill the father and get the girl alive. Simple enough, but we didn't know more. The client was supposed to call a few days later to talk more and to arrange the payment but before he could do that you two escaped"

When Kenshin said nothing the man continued talking.

"Well you can say he was not pleased so he started pressuring the first boss. He was amazed that you were able to escape so he raised the price offered and agreed to forgive the delay if we delivered you two. He was very impressed with your skill; I guess that was why he wanted you"

"What does he want Kaoru for? She is no use to him after she delivers whatever is inside that safe box. I understand he may want to use me but why her?"

"I don't know. I'm only repeating what I heard"

"Who is this new client?"

"I don't know what he does; I only know his name... Yan Mashido"

"What?" asked Kaoru as she moved closer to the front seat to hear better and to confirm if she had heard correctly.

"Yan Mashido" repeated the man "That is all I know"

Kaoru's face got paler and she sat back again with a thoughtful look on her face. 

"Do you know this person?" asked Kenshin seeing her reaction.

"He… I know him but… I don't really want to talk about him"

"Was he the person you knew but didn't want to go to? The place you wouldn't be welcome?" [1]

Kaoru nodded 

"What was in that box?" said Kenshin changing the subject.

"I don't know. It wasn't the right key, we couldn't open it. The first boss was furious."

"Stop" said Kenshin suddenly turning to Ian again. He followed the orders and the car soon stopped.

"Get out" Ian didn't really want to know what would happen if he was asked twice so he exited the vehicle as soon as he could. Kenshin went to the driver seat and Kaoru got in the passenger seat. Kenshin speeded up the car and Ian was left standing on the side of the road.

"Great!" He said to no one in particular "Now what?"

*   *   *

Notes:

[1] Remember way back in chapter VI when Kaoru mention a place but decided not to go there… well to refresh your memory:

 "I know of a place we can go but…" She left the sentence unfinished as she lowered her eyes and stared at the pavement.

"But what?" Asked Kenshin softly as he kept staring at her.

"I don't know if I'll be welcome there"

A/N: Well I really hope you like it, please tell me what you think.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed and that mailed me about the last chapters, you really inspired me. Remember that if you want to b in the mailing list to know when a new chapter is posted you just have to mail me or tell me in a review. 

**Special thanks to:  Sayagohan16, lillie-chan5, Lizzy44, star-crystals and tessie-fanfic for putting me on your favorite author list.  **


	16. Chapter XV: How Deep is the Hole?

A/N: Well hello there. This is the new chapter Beta read by JP (thanks so much). I hope you like it, it's a little longger since it's my birth day tomorrow so I thought I'll give you a "Happy Birthday to me" gift. 

Warnings: Some angst, extreme WAFF and some lime… (well you asked for it)

Chapter XV

How Deep is the Hole?

_'I'm really starting to hate these things' _Thought Kenshin as he drove and looked at his wrists encircled by the steel manacles.

"Where are we going?" asked Kaoru

"As far from here as we can, we have to keep moving for a while if we want to get away. Anyway, tell me what happened at the bank."

"I don't know. The first boss had a key but it didn't work, so he started asking me about it but I really don't know"

"The only possible explanation is that your father gave them a false key. The real one must be hidden somewhere. I wonder what is inside that box that is so important to Yan Moshido" He knew he had made a mistake the moment the words left his mouth. He didn't understand exactly what Kaoru's connection to this mystery man was but he knew that whatever it was, it was painful to her. He gave her a quick look before turning his gaze again to the road. She looked fine but in deep thought. 

Yan Mashido. He had never heard the name before and he was quite familiar with the underground world. His years in a gang had taught him a lot about its workings and he could recognize the important names of the clients the first boss had business with. Yan Mashido didn't ring any bell and that could only mean two things. One, he was new to the business, probably a rich business man or someone who got into trouble and needed the first boss's help. He hoped that was it but something told him that it wasn't. 

The first boss seemed really concerned about this deal, he wanted it to be perfect and it could even be said that he was afraid. So that leads to the only other possibility: The guy was really 'big'. 

The underworld was a really complex society. Everyone had a specific rank and could either climb the ladder or descend it, depending on the other factors in the game, meaning the other people. Everyone could recognize a simple crook but nobody really bothered with them. They had no protection and weren't even in the game. Then there were the gangs. The gangs were differentiated by the power they held. Smaller gangs were usually used by the bigger ones and the members of each gang were categorized not only by their positions within the gang but also by the place of the gang in the underworld. For example the boss of a small gang was considered less than a minion of a big one. 

Gang wars erupted all the time and the struggles for power decide the ranking of a gang and its members. The first boss was the leader of one of the major gangs, and so, even if Kenshin was nothing but his slave, in the underworld he held a high position.

But even the underworld had to have some kind of order so there were the Gang lords and that was why _they _existed. No one but the bosses of the biggest and most important gangs knew who they were and everyone worked for them. They had legitimate lives and normally held very powerful positions in society. They literally controlled the underworld from behind the shadows. 

Kenshin had the suspicion that this Yan Mashido was part of this exclusive group of people and that was very bad. 

This thing was bigger than it first appeared. If he was right, the first boss would be found in no time and then every gang and every delinquent in town would be looking for them. That was no good. Besides, by now, he was really worried about Kaoru. How did she know a guy like that? How could a sweet girl be related to someone so dangerous? Of course he realized that she was involved in something when he first saw her in the safe house. No one got involved with his gang if he wasn't involved with delinquents somehow. Sometimes they targeted an innocent bystander who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were innocents but they were connected to delinquents even if they didn't want to be.

When he first met Kaoru he thought that she was someone like that, but now he knew that she, or at least her father, was involved in something big. Kenshin was in the middle of it all and he wasn't about to move. He would protect Kaoru no matter what.

"Don't you think we should leave the city or something like that? Kaoru asked after a while.

"No, they would be expecting us to, the safest thing we can do is to stay in the city."

"But where can we go?"

"I know a place. I haven't been there in a long time and it should only be safe for a short time… we probably have to get rid of the car anyway"

"So where is this place?"

Kenshin gave her a proud smile before finally saying "It's a surprise" He smiled again "You'll like it"

Kaoru nodded and then smiled at him some more. When did her life change so much? Now that she looked back at the way she had lived before, it all seemed so empty. Despite all the bad things that had happened, she wouldn't change it if she could. Now she had proof that fate existed. She was supposed to meet Kenshin in this life and no matter what she did every path would end the same way. 

She remembered the voice that spoke to her so long ago in the desert land. 

"You have chosen your fate," said the light as it disappeared slowly. "But I can guarantee you that it won't be an easy journey" [1]

This life, just like her journey to hell, was all a test. It was supposed to be hard because the main goal was to redeem Kenshin for his sins as Battousai. 

It seemed really weird to suddenly have all this knowledge about her past life. To know from experience things that months before she only read in history books. The way instincts took over when they needed to escape still had her thinking. At some point she remembered she knew Kamiya Kashin Ryu, rational thinking concluded she should be able to use it in this life as Kenshin used Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

But knowing something doesn't always mean understanding it. 

She was glad that she could still defend herself and that she didn't need to be saved by Kenshin all the time. 

Thinking of the redheaded swordsman beside her filled her heart with joy and also with sadness. She had suffered when her father was killed but her time of grief was very short ever since Kenshin came into her life. She had a happy childhood and even if she had to grow up without a mother, his father gave her everything she ever wanted. Kenshin on the other hand… It wasn't fair! He had suffered so much in his past life and now this one was no better. He had grown up without knowing love or even kindness. He had been beaten so many times. He was punished for everything he did, he was locked in cells, he was starved and he was taught that he was nothing but a possession. She knew him and she knew he was strong. He could handle all that, but they did something to him she didn't think she could ever forgive or that Kenshin could ever forget. They forced him to kill. He didn't talk about it but she could tell it still pained him to remember. Kenshin had killed so much and seen so much death. He didn't deserve that kind of life all over again. 

The car suddenly came to a stop.

"We should leave the car here and continue on foot"

Kaoru nodded and they gathered their belongings before leaving the car. Kaoru checked the glove compartment and found some money there. She took them. It would be useful in the future. 

She closed the door of the car and when she turned around she was face to face with Kenshin. She smiled. His soft lips were so close to her that she could even feel his steady breathing. For a moment she let go and her instincts took over again. Before she knew it the space between them disappeared and her lips were on top of his. She closed her eyes as she slowly parted her lips. She could feel Kenshin doing the same thing. For a moment his lips played with hers before the tip of his tongue slowly licked her lower lip. She moaned in pleasure as his tongue finally entered her mouth slowly exploring every corner of it. She returned the favor and couldn't resist the urge to softly bite his lower lip before joining their lips again in a melting kiss. 

Finally their lips parted but that took a few moments. When his lips left hers she finally opened her eyes. The sight that met her eyes was very rewarding. There stood Kenshin. His violet eyes looking right at her, his lips curved in a sweet smile. She ignored his bruised face or dirty clothes and focused on the happiness that he showed.

The wind blew her hair onto her face but before she had time to so something about it, she felt his hand softly brushing her hair back and touching her face. His hands were rough and cover in scars from his sword training, but his touch was the most gentle she ever felt. Before she knew it, her hand was on top of his and she grabbed it without ever wanting to let go. It was silent communication again and they walked away from the car with their hands joined, like two people who had only love to worry about. 

*   *   *

It was late at night when they finally arrived to that secret place. They had stopped to buy something to eat and some medical supplies. The money Kaoru had found was almost gone but at the moment they had all they needed. 

"It's just the way I remember it"

Kaoru was looking at the place with wide eyes. Kenshin had led her into the park in the middle of town. It was really big like having a forest in the middle of the city. [2] She wanted to ask Kenshin what was that secret place as soon as they arrived at the park but he kept saying it was a secret and that she had to wait to find out. Now that they were finally there she had nothing to say. It was perfect.

They were in a hidden part of the park. It had many tall trees surrounding a small house that was the size of a room. The trees kept it hidden and it was only possible to find it if you knew where it was. 

"This is actually where they keep the gardening equipment but it would work for the night"

"How do you know this place?" asked Kaoru when she finally found her voice.

"I found it some time ago. I haven't been here in ages"

He then reached into his long hair and retrieved a small lock pin. 

Kaoru laughed out loud after seeing him do that.

"What?" He asked innocently "This is actually very useful"

She took a moment to calm down and then finally explained.

"I just find it funny seeing the man who was once the mighty Hitokiri Battousai hiding things in his hair."

"It's a new habit" He said with a grin, "Back then I didn't bother with locks, breaking the door in two with my sword was much more efficient"

Kaoru smiled and was about to let the subject drop when she thought of something.

"If you had that on you all the time why didn't you use it before? It would have been useful one of the many times you were cuffed"

Kenshin put one hand under his chin and looked up to the sky as he tried to remember everything.

"Well, when they had me in solitary I couldn't reach it, when they put me in the trunk I tried but the first boss was right when he said that these," he said raising his arms so she could see the metal circles around his wrists "were special cuffs so I couldn't open them."

"You need to take those off soon"

He nodded and before she could continue he had his sword out and with two swift movements the annoying cuffs were off.

"But what about before, when I first met you and they cuffed you to the bars?"

Kenshin sheathed his sword and then looked at her with soft eyes before smiling sadly to himself.

"Back then I wasn't the same person. Once when I was younger I used a lock pin to take off the handcuffs that were put on me as punishment. I don't even remember what I did but the first boss decided I had to spend a week with my hands cuffed in front of me. It was on the third day when I finally decided that I've had enough of that so I took them off. The first boss found out and instead of the original punishment he put me in the solitary cell for the rest of the week and _then _he had my hands and feet shackled for another week. After that I decided it wasn't worth it. When I met you I was like that, but when they attacked you I was not myself, and like I said before, Battousai didn't bother with locks."

Kaoru hugged Kenshin the moment he stopped speaking. A single tear made its way down her cheek. Just a single one for the lost childhood of the soul she loved more than herself.

Kenshin returned the hug feeling comfort in the arms of this strong woman who had the heart of a lion and more love to give than water in the ocean. 

"Come on" He finally said as he took her hand. "Let's go in before it gets colder"

The door was quickly opened and Kaoru had a look inside. It was a small room with a closet in the back. There was even a small bathroom on the side and a couple of chairs. 

"As far as I know this was the guard hut a long time ago but now they just keep the gardening equipment in that closet. Since he comes every Friday and is the only one with a key, we should be fine for a couple of days."   

"Does the bathroom work?"

"I don't know," said Kenshin and then walked in there to check. It worked.

"We should clean up your wounds," she said and she did just that. She tore a part of her top and soaked it in water. She slowly began to clean the blood and dirt off Kenshin's wounds. Soon she was done with the face and Kenshin looked at her, his eyes filled with gratitude. She smiled and took a moment to look at him before speaking again. 

"I need you to take off your shirt…" she said, and after seeing the look on Kenshin's face she added "I need to check for wounds"

Kenshin remained with his eyes wider that usual and she swore she could hear a small "oro" escaped his lips when she wasn't looking. Then he broke from the spell and looked at Kaoru as if he was seeing her for the first time in ages.… and then he smiled. Not the sweet and innocent smiled she was used to, this was a wicked smile filled with love and desire. He complied, never taking his eyes away from her, and soon his shirt was off.

Kaoru took a few moments to drool at the sight before her. There stood Kenshin looking at her with unbelievable violet eyes and that new look she just couldn't resist. His strong muscles exposed for her, and only for her to see. His long hair falling loose over his shoulders and chest making the beautiful contrast between white and red. 

She had to take a couple of breaths before she managed to get herself back to the task at hand. 

As she cleaned the wounds, she let her hands dance on top of his skin. She used the tip of her fingers to caress him and gently teased him. Kenshin kept his eyes on hers and let her play with him for as long as she wanted as he lost himself in the pleasure. 

All they needed was a touch for those feelings to wake. Their instincts took over once more and soon their souls and bodies were rejoined after so much time. They connected and shared everything they were. In each others' arms nothing mattered, not the past, not the first boss, not Yan Mashido, not even the future. They were there for each other and no one else. Two lovers reunited. 

*   *   *

This chapter ends here because:

a) this is PG13

b) You pretty much know what happened

c) I can't write lemons

Notes:

[1] See "Heavenly Lost" or the Prologue

[2] I don't know a thing about Tokyo geography, I just assumed there was a park because it fit with the story. 

Thanks to everyone that reviewed and mailed me.

**Special thanks to:** beriath, amie-dono, Daughter of magic and Terra The Wanderer for putting me in your favorite author list. That feels so good!


	17. Chapter XVI: Conversations

A/N: Here is the revise chapter XVI, thanks a lot to JP for beta reading!

*   *   *

Chapter XVI

Conversations

"So, how did you find this place?" The sun was coming through the small circular window in the ceiling of the house and Kaoru's face was illuminated by the soft golden light. Her dark hair shone and her eyes glowed with happiness.

"I stayed here for a while a long time ago."

"I thought you never left that safe house," Kaoru said. "Well except for missions," she quickly added. 

"It was only for a couple of days," replied Kenshin looking at the distance as if he was deep in thought. 

"Why didn't you stay longer?" 

"I had to go back."

Kaoru stayed silent for a moment. "Why?" she finally asked.

"It's a long story," he answered truthfully, "and a sad one. You don't need to hear it."

Kaoru kissed him softly and leaned on top of him. He put his arms around her and she softly touched his scar with the tips of her fingers. "After all that we've been through, two lives, countless battles, goodbyes and even through the depths of hell together, and you are still trying to protect me?"

Kenshin tightened his hold on her. "I always will, no matter what," he whispered to her.

Kaoru smiled. She could always take comfort in those strong arms and she knew she would always feel protected. "I love you Kenshin," she said, "all of you. The sweet one, the strong one, the one filled with guilt and even the one that killed easily so long ago. All of them are parts of you, the Kenshin I love. Don't keep anything from me, I won't judge you, I don't have the right of ask but don't try to protect me because this knowledge is something I want and by refusing to tell me, you are keeping a part of yourself away from me."

Kenshin didn't speak. He was analyzing every loving word that came out of her mouth and the inevitable conclusion was that she was right. 

Kaoru remained silent. She knew that he was sorting things out in his mind and needed time. She would wait as long as it took.

It was only thirty minutes but it seemed so much longer. "I was twelve more or less. I've been training with the men of the gang for as long as I could remember. The fighting came easy to me. Now I realized why, even if my conscious mind couldn't remember, there was a part of me that never forgot the warrior inside.

"At first it was only hand to hand combat. I learned the moves fast but I was always at a disadvantage. My opponents were always bigger than me. From time to time I had a lucky punch and my adversary was injured. I learned soon enough that that wasn't a smart thing to do. If I won on a fair fight, they would say that my ego would get bigger so they needed to show me that they were still stronger than me. They'd made me fight a second time but then it was against three or four; they wouldn't stop hitting, not even when I was down." Kenshin took a moment to gather his thoughts and then a sad smile appeared on his face. "I guess," he continued, "that in the long run it wasn't that bad. Soon I learned to win in an unfair fight. One against two, three, four and even five. Maybe I have them to thank for that."

Kaoru bit her lower lip in an attempt to stay silent. She wanted so much to tell Kenshin that if he wanted to find someone responsible for his fighting skills, that was Hiko Soujiro. The man that lived so many years ago, the teacher that cared for him, in that very special way, and not those horrible men who 'raised' Kenshin this time around. But Kaoru said nothing and simply waited for him to continue. She knew Kenshin had to get all of that out and she was there to listen and comfort him, not interfere. 

Kenshin's soft voice soon filled the small house again as he continued his story. "When they were sure I could handle myself in a fight, they started the weapon training. Knives were first. I soon mastered the use of the sharp object and it became my weapon since I was ten. I was very good with it and I used it in the first mission they sent me to. It was a simple mission, a burglary. I was supposed to climb into a vent and crawl into the main room. Once I was there I had to disable the alarm system and signal the men so they could come in and finish the job. Pretty easy huh?" He didn't wait for an answer and continued talking. "I used the knife to open the vent and cut the wire. My missions were like that for more than a year. Easy ones, until the time I messed up."

Silence filled the little cabin once again. Kaoru waited patiently for a moment and then decided that maybe Kenshin wasn't ready to tell that part of the story. She didn't mind, she would wait as long as it took. "Kenshin, if you want, we can continue this la--" 

Her words were cut short by the hand Kenshin raised signaling her to stop.  "It's ok. As I was saying, that mission was like all the others. Crawl into a building, disable the security system, signal the men, and stand in guard until they cleared the place up. That time, when I got inside, there was a man waiting for me, a guard. Due to the many recent robberies, the owners of the building had ordered one of the guards to stay inside and watch the place. My instincts told me he was there before I climbed down from the vent I used to get in. I waited for a moment and then jumped the man and knocked him out. I left him unconscious on the floor and went to shut down the alarm. I gave the signal to the men and they walked in. It was a fast job, it never took them more than ten minutes to clean the place up and load all the stuff into the vans waiting outside. This time, however, ten minutes were too long. When they were in the middle of the job, the guard woke up. No one saw him turn the alarm on but everyone heard the loud noise of the siren. Everyone froze in the spot for a moment. The leader of the operation noticed the guard and shot him before ordering the rest of us to evacuate. The mission was a failure.

"Needless to say, the first boss wasn't happy about it. When we came back, he called me and the mission leader to explain what happened. They found out it was my fault and…it wasn't pretty.  It wasn't the punishment, I could take that easily, what really hurt was that that was the day they decided I needed to learn how to kill."

Kaoru gasped and soon she found her back pressed against Kenshin's chest, his strong arms wrapped around her. She instinctively put her hands over her mouth, she wasn't supposed to make a sound, she was supposed to stay quiet and let Kenshin speak. She felt comforted and protected in his arms but that wasn't the way it was meant to be. He shouldn't be comforting her; it should be the other way around! "I'm sorry," said Kaoru after a while.  "I know what that must have meant to you, if you want to sto—"

"No, this is a part of my past I must face. I won't keep you in the dark."

She nodded and felt his lips pressing against the back of her neck. She smiled; the simplest touch of those lips could make her world brighter any day.

"It was a week after that," said Kenshin after he too took comfort in the touch of his beloved. "My punishment was short and over and I was back in training. One day they took me to a different room from the one we always use for practice. I didn't think much of it at first, probably just another thing they wanted me to learn so I could be more useful in the future… I wasn't entirely wrong but I never expected what I encountered. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen, and you and I know I've seen a lot. They locked me in the room; I was armed with my knife, as usual. There was a man torturing a woman who was tied to a chair. Two lifetimes! So much blood, and that's still one of the worst things I've ever seen. I think the only two more shocking events are the death of Tomoe and when I thought Enishi killed you." 

Kaoru's soft hand was on top of his, giving him the calm he needed to talk about things that caused him so much pain.  

"I was moving before I realized it," he continued. "I tried knocking the man down but it never worked. He always got up again and didn't even fight back. He ignored me completely and just went back to the woman. Finally after a while, many punches, kicks and still unsuccessful, the man took out a gun, pointed it at the woman and said 'goodbye'. I knew he wasn't bluffing. I could see it in his eyes; even then I could spot the eyes of a killer. I knew I shouldn't do it, I knew I was breaking something sacred by holding a weapon the way I did but I did it anyway. Before I knew, the man lay on the floor with his throat open." Kenshin tightened the hold on Kaoru's torso as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "It was all for nothing," he finally said. There was no anger in his voice, just the hopeless acceptance of something that can't be changed. "The woman was safe for a little while but the first boss would never let her leave, she had seen too much, knew too much. That day I broke my vow to Tomoe and killed the man and the woman as well, I killed them both."

Kaoru turned around to face him. She put her arms around him and rested her head on his collar bone. "Kenshin, there was nothing more you could do," she said in her soft voice trying her best not to break into tears for the pain he had been through. 

"I know that," he replied in the same even tone of voice as he caressed her long black hair. "But this is something I have to live with. I killed them and when the time comes I'll have to face the consequences."

"Whatever it is, we'll do it together."

"There's still a lot of time before we'll have to face heaven or hell; that is if we can survive this deal with Mr. Mashido."

Kaoru suddenly turned quiet and her eyes went to the floor. Kenshin caressed her face and looked at her with kind eyes. 

"That was the last time I killed," said Kenshin.

"Then you succeeded," she said. "You didn't become Battousai again."

"Yes, but I did kill and when the time comes--"

"We'll face it together," she interrupted before he could finish the sentence. "We are together for ever and for everything."

He looked at her and saw the sincerity in her eyes, saw the woman, the soul that rescued him from hell and the light of his life. He saw his companion, his soul mate, his love. He knew then that everything she said was true and that no force in the universe would ever tear them apart.

She looked back at him and knew what she had to do. "I first met Yan Mashido two years ago." 

Kenshin blinked a couple of times. "You don't have to, if you don't want…"

"I need to do this," she said with a voice that spoke of determination and love. "I have to do this."

He nodded and that was all the encouragement she needed.  "My father said he was a business associate. He had a lot of those, and I met a lot of people. My mother died when I was born so my father was alone and learned to depend on me in many ways. You could say that in some aspects I assumed the role of the wife. I met his clients and coworkers, went to parties with him and received people at home.  

"I was fifteen when I first met Mr. Mashido. Dad invited him for dinner at home. By then I was used to have guests for dinner and knew exactly what to do. I greeted him the way a lady is suppose to but from the first time I saw him I could tell there was something… wrong about him. 

"He is a tall man, about forty years old, he has gray eyes and when I saw him for the first time I thought he was pretty handsome." Kenshin raised an eyebrow at that and Kaoru smiled sweetly at him. "Of course I hadn't met you and, believe me, you are so much better." Kenshin smiled back at her and brushed the back of his hand to her skin, 

"That first dinner wasn't very eventful," said Kaoru resuming her tale. "He talked with my father and occasionally asked me some polite question… The problem started a few days later when we were the ones invited to have dinner at his home. I didn't want to go; something in my mind told me it wasn't the right thing to do. I went anyway. I discovered then that Mr. Mashido was single and lived in a large estate by himself. Dinner went smoothly but I had the impression that Mr. Mashido was observing me throughout the dinner. We were about to go when my father got a phone call from the office. Dad always worked very hard. It wasn't strange for him to get calls from the office at late hours of the night. Anyway, that day my father had to go to the office in a hurry. 

"Yan Mashido lives, or at least did at the time, on the outskirts of town. No public transport goes there that far late in the night so I was resigning myself to a boring night in my dad's office and a bad night on the couch in his office. Mr. Mashido, however, suggested that I stayed the night there so I would get a proper rest. My father trusted him and that's why he left me there." Kaoru gave a sad chuckle before continuing. "He trusted him, and as far as we know Mr. Mashido was his killer." Kaoru closed her eyes and tried as best as she could to hold the tear that threatened to fall down her face. 

Kenshin put a comforting hand on her shoulder but soon decided it wasn't enough and took her in his arms. "I know this is hard for you," he said. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to."

There was a brief moment of silence and then she spoke. "It's ok, it's not that bad, but if I don't get it out now I doubt I ever will." 

Kenshin nodded and patiently waited for her to go on. 

"My father left and I stayed the night." Her voice was a little stronger and she was more determined to finish her tale. "At first, Mr. Mashido continued being polite as always but as the night went on he started to get a little more… friendly." 

Kenshin's eyes threatened to turn amber but he quickly controlled the impulse. There'll be time for that later. 

""He took a cup of wine and offered another one to me," said Kaoru unaware of Kenshin's tight muscles. "I refused at first but he said it wasn't polite to refuse your host. So I ignored my better judgment, took refuge in my manners, and accepted. It wasn't my first cup of wine, but if you remember, I can't hold my liquor. By the second cup I was already wasted. I don't remember much but I do know that he tried to touch me. I slapped him in the face, ran to the guest room and locked the door." Kenshin let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

She continued speaking unaware of his reaction. "My father came to pick me up early the next morning. I gave a polite goodbye to my host and left. I never told my father."

There was another silence before Kenshin asked her, "if that happened, then why did you think of him when I asked if you had a place to go?"

"I… Mr. Mashido and my father were friends until the day he died, or so he thought." She sighed. "I guess he was backstabbed by his best friend. He trusted him, dad always said that if anything happened to him I should go see his friend, Yan Mashido."

It was then that Kenshin understood the gravity of the situation. Kaoru's father was betrayed and Kaoru was involved even if she didn't want to be. If they ever wanted to be safe again, they needed to solve the mystery, and the first step was finding out what was hidden in that security box in the bank. 

Kaoru's eyes opened wide, she had an idea. 

*   *   *

A/N: Please tell me of you want to be on the update mailing list, send me a mail at misanagi_zzz@hotmail.com or tell me in a review. 

Thanks to everyone that reviewed or mailed me, sorry I'm not thanking you personally but real life has me really busy right now. Believe me when I say that your reviews are very important to me and that read and cherish every one of them. 

I think this story is coming to and end. It would be done in a chapter or two and then an epilogue. Don't worry, you'll have all the answers by then. 

Thanks for reading.

Misanagi


	18. Chapter XVII: At the end of the Road

Author's notes: Sorry for the long wait, I hope you all like the chapter.  
  
Special thanks to JP for beta reading!  
  
The Findings of Earth By Misanagi  
  
Chapter XVII  
  
At the end of the road  
  
"We need to go, Kaoru," said Kenshin after a while. "If we stay here they'll get us, I know that. We need to find the key."  
  
Kaoru raised her head and looked at Kenshin, "the key?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, the first boss had a fake so the real key must be hidden somewhere. We need to find it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because the only way we can put a stop to this is to find what is inside that box. Think, Kaoru, where could your father have hidden the key?"  
  
"I don't know." Kaoru closed her eyes for a moment and forced herself to remember. There must be something to help her think; she knew that if she thought hard enough she might find that key. She was always very close with her father. He trusted her and shared almost everything with her. She even knew the combination of the safe in her father's office even if her father never kept anything really valuable in there. She was grateful for that, when she went back to her house with Kenshin the safe was empty. If it wasn't for the hidden money her father had left her they would be in a deeper hole that the one they were in. It was unfortunate that she had to leave it all at that house Kenshin and she were hiding in before the first boss found them. "The money," she said, not even realizing that she was speaking out loud, "there was a box there that I never checked!"  
  
"What?" asked Kenshin.  
  
"Do you remember the money we got from my house?" He nodded. ""well, there was this little metallic box with it but I never looked inside, I don't know what's in there but I'm willing to bet it's the key! My father always hide the important things in his secret safe."  
  
"And where is that box now?" asked Kenshin, he feared that maybe the first boss had gotten it when he captured them.  
  
"It's in that house we stayed. After you went to face the gang men, I was left alone in the room. I had my purse with me with the money and the box inside. I hid the purse on top of a beam in the roof before I went out and followed you."  
  
"So the box is still there." It wasn't a question.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Get ready then, we need to go back to that house and look for that box, we need the key."  
  
* * *  
  
They left their little house in the middle of the park and walked to the house they were taken from a few days before. Luckily they weren't that far away and the walk only took a couple of hours. It was a nice walk too. They enjoyed the company of the other and loved every moment they spent together. They were walking in silence when Kenshin noticed that Kaoru had a sad look on her face and that her eyes were lost somewhere, like she was looking at something that wasn't really there. Kenshin brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and she turned around and looked at him, she read the unspoken question in his face.  
  
"I was just thinking, remembering, do you remember them Kenshin?"  
  
There was no need to specify who she was talking about. He knew. "Of course I do," he replied softly. He remembered them as well as he remembered Kaoru and who he was. He got his memories back and his friends, his family, were part of that. He missed them. He was now living in a world that was so different from the one he remembered and he was facing so many problems, sometimes he wished his friends were back with him. At least, he had Kaoru.  
  
"You know what I regret the most?" she asked, fighting back tears. "I never saw Kenji grow up. I left him before he married or met a girl he like, before he opened his eyes to the world around him and realized that he was no longer a child but a man. I wasn't there to help him with his own children or his doubts, I left him too early."  
  
"We both did," said Kenshin. "But Kenji is a strong soul and I'm sure he did just fine. I miss him too and I also have many regrets but I'm confident that he became a great man. Remember that we didn't leave him alone."  
  
Kaoru had to smile at that. They did leave but Kenji was surrounded by a wonderful group of people. They left him with a family who wasn't bound by blood but by a much deeper bond. They were all linked by their souls; their  
  
friendship, love and sacrifices for each other were proof of that. Her son was in good hands.  
  
"I still wish we knew what happened to him," said Kaoru.  
  
"I'm sure he did fine but I wonder also what happened to everyone we left behind," replied Kenshin.  
  
"I miss them, every one of them. We lived a rough life but I treasured every moment of it."  
  
Kenshin smiled sadly thinking about past times. After everything that he went through, he still thought of those times as something precious, everything he did, every decision he made, every time he used his sword, it was all a path that led to her. The woman in front of him was worth all the sacrifices and a minute with her merited years of fighting.  
  
They walked in silence the rest of the way. Each thinking deeply about their pasts and the life they were living then. They had met under the most horrible circumstances but they had met none the less. The light had told them that they would have to deal with many tests but that if they were together they would be able to succeed.  
  
They arrived at the house in early afternoon. Kenshin surveyed the place and made sure that there weren't any gang man inside or outside the house. After everything was safe he and Kaoru entered the deserted house and headed upstairs.  
  
"I hid my purse in the room we slept in, come on," she said and headed for the stairs. "I don't think they found it, I don't think they even knew we left something here."  
  
Kenshin nodded and silently followed Kaoru. He kept his eyes open and he was ready for anything. They had caught them once, they wouldn't do it again.  
  
The afternoon sun entered the room through the closed white shades, making it dark but bright enough to see. Kaoru walked directly to a small table located in one corner of the room. She climbed on top of it and then used her arms to grab a wooden beam near the roof and pulled herself up.  
  
Kenshin opened his eyes wide and couldn't help but say "Oro" at her acrobatic display. He knew the woman he loved had skills but he never imagined she could do that.  
  
Kaoru giggled a little and smiled down at Kenshin before crawling from one end of the beam to the other. Kenshin eyes were glued on her; he was hypnotized by the graceful movements. She reached the other end and carefully stood up. She balanced herself against the wall and with her right hand reached for a lamp that hanged just above her head. Moments later she retrieved her purse. She  
  
threw it down to Kenshin who caught it without taking his eyes from her. Kaoru then sat back on the beam and before Kenshin could blink she jumped to the floor.  
  
"Oro?"  
  
Kaoru landed perfectly. She brushed the hair from her face and looked at Kenshin who was still looking at her with a puzzled look. "What?" she asked, smiling. "There was no kendo team in my school so I joined the gymnastics one. I quitted after a couple of years to train in Kendo outside school but I still learned a little."  
  
Kenshin took a couple of moments to assimilate the new information and then sat on the floor, where Kaoru soon joined him. She opened her purse and threw all the contents on the floor. She ignored the money, lipstick and other implements that fell out but grabbed the small metallic box. "This is it," she said. "I hope the key is inside it." She opened the box and smiled when she saw the small  
  
silver key inside. She took it out and showed it to Kenshin with a triumphant smile on her face.  
  
* * *  
  
He sat in a simple wooden chair in a dark room. He wasn't tied down; there was no need for it. He knew that escaping was not an option and even if it was, the two big guys guarding the door would never allow it. The door opened with a loud crack and light suddenly entered the room. He put his hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the brightness. He blinked a couple of times as his eyes slowly got adjusted. When he looked up Mr. Mashido was already in front of him. He couldn't talk. Just looking into the piercing gaze of those dark eyes made him stay silent.  
  
"Leave us," Mr. Mashido said to the men standing on guard. They obeyed and the first boss was left alone in the room with him.  
  
"I expected better from you, Yutaka."  
  
That name hit him harder than any blow could ever have. It had been at least seven years since he last heard it and he thought he would never hear it again. "I don't have a name any more," said the first boss. "Yutaka is dead."  
  
Yan Mashido smiled. It had been a long time since he last saw his friend. They had kept in contact but they had never met in person, not until then. "It's  
  
stupid to keep blaming yourself for what happened," said Mashido and offered a cigarette to the first boss. The first boss took it and then Mashido lighted it.  
  
"I stopped blaming myself a long time ago, Yan. I know who's fault it is, yours."  
  
"I wasn't the one who pulled the trigger," replied Mashido as he lighted his own cigarette. "It was you."  
  
"You made me do it, you tricked me!"  
  
"She needed to die, Yutaka. She betrayed us."  
  
"She was my wife!"  
  
"I loved her too," said Yan in a cold voice. "But things need to be done; if she betrayed you she didn't love you."  
  
"She didn't betray me. She found out about everything and did as her heart told her. You. we killed her family, what else was she supposed to do?"  
  
"Are you telling me that you would have gone to jail for her? That you would just let her testify against us?"  
  
"I would have done anything to keep her alive."  
  
"Then why did you shot her?"  
  
Why? He had spent the last seven years asking himself that question. Why? He loved her with all his heart and she loved him in return, until she found out that he was responsible for the death of her family and she couldn't forgive him. He didn't blame her; he loved her enough to understand that. After she left he spent a week locked in his room. He drank and thought about her, he drank and remembered the good times together, he drank to forget her, he drank to make the pain go away, he drank and he drank. Then one day Yan knocked on his door. They had been friends since school, they were partners in their clandestine business and he had even saved his life once. He was the godfather at his wedding, even though he loved the bride just as much. Yan sat with his friend, they drank  
  
together and then he finally had the nerve to tell him what he had come to say. Izumi was cheating on him. Yan said that she had an affair with a police man and that she told him all about their business. She told him because she loved him and Yutaka meant nothing to her. It was a lie but Yutaka was in too much pain and too drunk to think otherwise. He was angry and he was hurt. He took his gun and went to find her. It was a mistake, the worst mistake of his life.  
  
"Don't look at me like that old friend," said Yan. "I know you hate me and we can part ways after you finish this mission, that's if you ever manage to do it."  
  
"There is nothing I've wanted more in the past seven years," answered Yutaka. "You know that if I could bring myself to kill you I would have done it years ago."  
  
"I'm glad you still value a little of our friendship but I still need the documents inside that safe box. If you fail I won't hesitate to do to you the same I did to her."  
  
"I know," replied Yutaka, "I underestimated Kenshin but it won't happen again."  
  
"You are in a terrible mess my dear friend. You lost the girl and now she is being protected by your best fighter. You don't have the key and you killed the only person who knew where it could be,"  
  
"I killed him on your orders." Yutaka alleged and Yan just smiled. "My men are already checking his property;" he continued, "the key has to be there."  
  
"And what about the girl, one is not good to me without the other."  
  
"We are looking for them. My men have the city surrounded, they'll be found in no time."  
  
"You have a week, Yutaka," said Yan Mashido as he turned to leave the room.  
  
"After that either you'll be free of me or you'll join Izumi in death."  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin looked around the bank as he walked inside. Kaoru walked beside him with a confident look on her face. Kenshin's sword was hidden below his black coat. He didn't think he would need it inside the bank but he didn't felt safe without it. Kaoru walked to a desk and greeted the man behind it with a smile.  
  
"I remember you young lady," he said. "You came a few days ago with your uncle, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes I did," replied Kaoru. "I'm glad you remember me."  
  
"You left in such a hurry, were you upset or something?."  
  
Kaoru didn't hesitate. "No, we just had an appointment and we were kind of late but it's kind of you to ask."  
  
"So what can I do for you today?"  
  
"I need to open the safe box again."  
  
"Oh, certainly, do you remember the number?"  
  
"356367742B" Answered Kaoru confidently. Kenshin's face remained the same but he was quietly wondering if Kaoru had memorized the number in her last visit to the bank.  
  
"And may I see some ID please?"  
  
Kaoru took her ID from her purse and handed it to the man. She was grateful that he had given it back to her the last time and not the first boss.  
  
"Well, all is in order," said the man after he checked the information. "Follow me please."  
  
They arrived at the big doors and the man turned and looked at Kenshin from  
  
behind his glasses. "Only the lady can enter the vault" he said.  
  
Kenshin was about to object but Kaoru smiled at him and said, "I'll be okay." He nodded and let her go. The confidence in her eyes told him that she would be alright.  
  
Kaoru followed the man into the vault. He gave her the box and then exited the room to give her some privacy. She took the key from her pocket and slowly inserted it into the box. 'I hope this works,' she thought before turning it. The box clicked. She smiled hopefully and then lifted the top slowly. The box was full of papers, documents that she didn't understand. She flipped through some of them until she found some photographs. She gasped when she saw them. There were the first boss and Mr. Mashido next to the dead body of a woman,  
  
there was another of them carrying the body and one of the first boss and the same woman when she was still alive. Kaoru didn't need to know more. She took all documents and photographs and put them in her bag, then closed the box and called the man. "Thanks a lot," she said and then she quickly left the vault.  
  
Kenshin was waiting for her outside the doors. She took his arm as soon as she reached him and guided him outside.  
  
"We are going to the police," she said as soon as they were on the street. The tone of her voice left no room for discussion.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru sat in the front row of the court room. She was wearing a black pant suit with a blue shirt, her hair was let down and it ran all the way to her back. Her eyes were fixed on the man in the witness box. Kenshin was sitting with a controlled expression on his face as he calmly answered the questions they were asking him. He was wearing a black suit himself, a white shirt and a deep blue tie. His red hair was held in a low pony tail.  
  
Kenshin answered truthfully to every question he was asked. He completely ignored the eyes of the accused, eyes that threatened that if they ever got out they will hunt him for ever. He told his story from the time the gang got him until the day Kaoru and him walked out of the bank and headed for the police station.  
  
They had told the police everything, all about the gang, their capture, Kaoru's father assassination and they had delivered the documents that had been hidden inside the safe box. The police took them into their custody while they investigated more and studied the documents. They spent a week in the police station. They weren't prisoners but that was the only way the police could guarantee their safety at the moment. They stayed in a special part of the jail, just the two of them and they received constant visits from the detectives in charge of the  
  
case. One week later they found out that after Kaoru's father went into business with Yan Mashido he discovered that not all of his operations were legal, he dig a little bit more and started gathering evidence against various crimes he discovered Mr. Mashido committed. Yan Mashido discovered what Kaoru's father was doing and threatened his daughter. That was when he opened the safe and deposited all the evidence there; he thought that if he had something against Mashido his family would be safe. He was wrong.  
  
At the end of the week the police captured Yan Mashido and the first boss. It had been six months and they were finally approaching the end of the long trial. Kaoru had already testified and Kenshin was the last one. The police had offered them both protection in exchange for their cooperation and had absolved Kenshin from every crime he committed during his years with the gang. Most of the gang men who decided to testify against their boss got similar treatment or a reduced sentence. With the testimony and the documents Kaoru's father had gathered,  
  
things didn't look well for Yan Mashido and their first boss, who's real name was Yutaka Enomoto.  
  
Kaoru sat silently watching Kenshin. After the criminals had been arrested they were able to move out of the jail and into a small house that was always monitored by the police. Kaoru smiled, Kenshin had asked her to marry him again and they were going to do it after the trial was over and they moved to their new home. The police had promised to relocate them and change their identities so they wouldn't have to worry about revenge from the people they helped put behind bars.  
  
Kenshin finally finished his testimony and the jury left to deliberate. It didn't take long, thirty minutes later they came out and declared the defendant guilty and the judge sentenced them to life in prison.  
  
Kaoru and Kenshin walked out of the courthouse together, the nightmare was over and they had the rest of their lives ahead of them.  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Kaoru as they walked down the street.  
  
"Anything you want," answered Kenshin looking into her beautiful eyes and holding her hand. "We have our whole lives ahead of us."  
  
-Owari  
  
* * *  
  
Author's Notes: Oh my! I can't believe this is done. I hope you enjoyed the fic, I had a really good time writing it. There is an epilogue coming up and that's it. Thanks for supporting me during the year it took me to write this.  
  
Misanagi 


	19. Epilogue: A Moment Forever

Author's notes: I'm really sorry this took so long. I had a really bad case of writer's block. This epilogue is the closing scene of "The findings of earth" and "Heavenly lost".   
  
I strongly recommend that you read the prologue of this fic before you read the epilogue. It was posted over a year ago and this way, you can remember some things that are vital to understand this last part.  
  
Special thanks to Lysse-chan, who drew a fanart for this story. You can find it here:  
  
www.galeon.com/lysse-chan/Kenshin/TFOE   
  
I would also like to thank JP for beta reading these last chapters. Thanks a lot, you are great!  
  
=============================  
  
Epilogue  
  
A Moment Forever  
  
It was a sad day. Even though the sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing like any other day, she knew it was a sad day. She was young, she had just turned ten but she was no fool. Everyone knew she was a smart girl and no one insulted her by trying to hide the truth. After all, death is a part of life and everyone has to learn that, even a little girl.  
  
Her name was Ashka and she has lived in the same house all her life. As far back as she could remember she has always had the same neighbors. They were all nice but there was a couple she liked best of all. They lived in the house in front of hers and they were always very nice. They had always been old too. She didn't mind, she liked old people and they were like grandparents to her. Her real grandparents died before she even knew them so the couple across the street was a good substitute in her eyes. They were called Kaoru and Kenshin but to her they would always be Soba and Sobu. [1]  
  
They lived alone – since they never had any children, and Ashka enjoyed spending time in their house, drinking tea and listening to wonderful stories they used to tell, about ancient times and other worlds. She asked them once if all those things were true and Sobu just smiled at her and told her that she would have to decide for herself. She did and she believed them.   
  
That was why even if it was a sad day she still hoped that maybe, for them, it wasn't so sad.   
  
They had died the same day. Ashka's father had told her that something like that didn't usually happen and that it was a proof of how much they cared about each other. Ashka never doubted that it was true.  
  
She felt tears running down her cheeks and used her sleeve to dry them off. She wasn't the only one crying; the cemetery was filled with people, mostly from the neighborhood that had come to say their last goodbye to them.   
  
They were buried together, next to each other, just the way they would have wanted it.  
  
Ashka visited their graves every year and eventually, when she grew old, she told her children the story of a couple that have lived two lifetimes and traveled to the depths of hell just to be with each other.   
  
"And did they make it mommy? Were they finally together?"  
  
"I don't know for sure, honey, but I like to think they did."  
  
* * *  
  
He felt like he was falling from high up and there was no way to stop. He wanted to scream but the words couldn't leave his mouth. His eyes were closed and he didn't dare to open them. He felt like everything was spinning around him and he was unable to control anything. He wanted to breathe but he couldn't; there was no air and he was suffocating.  Then, he felt something hit him and his whole body was suddenly in pain for a split second and then it stopped. Everything stopped: the spinning, the falling, the lack of air… and it was replaced by a warm feeling inside his chest. He felt like he was pleasantly floating through the sky and a soft wind played with his hair as he took a gasp of air.   
  
He opened his eyes slowly. At first he could only see a bright light in front of him. He blinked a couple of times and his eyes started to get adjusted. He distinguished some shadows that little by little began to clear up. He blinked again in disbelief when he realized what he was seeing. In front of him was the inside yard of the Kamiya Dojo.  
  
It had been so long since he had seen that last. Everything looked the way he remembered it, the only thing missing was…  
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
He turned and looked at her. She was standing beside him, wearing the blue kimono she loved so much. Her hair was no longer gray and short. It was long and the color of the night. Her skin was a smooth as he remembered it and her eyes were no longer tired but sparkling.   
  
"We are home," she said.   
  
Home, he had heard that word so many times, but now it had a new meaning.   
  
"So you finally decided to show up!" said a voice from behind them. A voice   
  
Kenshin and Kaoru could easily recognize.   
  
"Sano!" They both said at the same time.   
  
Sanosuke Sagara was just the way they remembered him. He stood tall in the same white clothes he always wore. His hair was as spiky as ever and the fish bone was hanging from his lips. He looked twenty, just the way he looked when they all met, all those years before.   
  
What Kenshin experienced when he saw his friend, after they had been apart for so long, couldn't be described by words.  
  
His mind was still trying to assimilate that he was back in the dojo, the first place he had learned to call home. He had no words; he just stood in shock waiting to see what else could happen.  
  
* * *  
  
Sano, however, would have none of that. The last time he had seen Kenshin was more than a life time ago. The last time he had seen his friend alive had been a hit to the heart. Kenshin had been dying that time and his soul was burdened by the terrible feeling that he wouldn't be able to see his loved one for the last time.  
  
Now Sano saw the Kenshin and Kaoru he remembered standing in front of him. They both looked the way they did when he first met them. Kaoru looked as beautiful as ever and Kenshin had that aura of power that had always been with him.  
  
Sano threw his arms around his friends and hugged them tightly. "It's good to see you again," he said.   
  
"It has been a long time," said Kenshin, finally regaining his voice.  
  
"I hope you've been taking good care of this place," said Kaoru with a smile on her face.   
  
"He wouldn't have been able to do it even if his life, or his after-life, depended on it," said Yahiko coming out of the dojo.  
  
* * *  
  
Yahiko looked grown up. He was tall and his muscles had developed. His air fell over his brown eyes and he was wearing a blue gi with the kanji of "Aku" written on the back.   
  
Kaoru left Sano to embrace the person she had grown to think of as a little brother. Yahiko eagerly returned the hug.  
  
Kaoru soon found Kenshin's arms around them both and smiled. They were together again.  
  
"We've been watching over you," said Sano. "But we weren't worried; we knew you would make it."  
  
"That doesn't mean that we didn't interfere a little bit," commented Yahiko.  
  
"Interfere?" questioned Kenshin.  
  
"Well, we knew you would need your Sakabatou back so we guided the sword buyer in the right direction," said Sano, nonchalantly.  
  
"I thank you for that, my friend. My sword was quite useful."  
  
At that moment, the dramatic atmosphere caused by the arrival of the two souls was broken and they were just, the old friends they had been, looking after each other.  
  
* * *  
  
The arrival of a bright light brought silence back to the dojo yard. Everyone looked at the light with wonder in their eyes. Two of them were studying the phenomenon, trying to understand what it was.   
  
Kaoru already knew. It was her third encounter with the light and she had been expecting its arrival from the moment she realized she was dead. [2]  
  
Kaoru took a step forward and waited for the light to talk.   
  
"So we meet again," said the soft voice that could be assumed, was coming from the light. "I've been watching you and I've been with you through your entire journey. A decision has finally been made regarding the fate of your souls."  
  
No one dared to speak. They just stood there, waiting expectantly for the verdict.   
  
"Your love is strong. Stronger than anything we've ever seen. It was your devotion to each other that allowed you to leave hell. Sadly, love isn't enough to be granted passage to heaven." There was a short pause. "We believe in the goodness within your souls and that's why we gave you another chance to repent for your sins. We made your journey difficult to test your reactions. Even if you didn't consciously remember what happened, we expected your souls to have the knowledge to guide you on the right way. You were faced with difficult decisions and forced into situations, we know, you would have liked to avoid. It was a test and we are glad to say that you passed it.   
  
"You found each other, found love again and learned to trust in each other's strength. You committed sins but every soul does that and we think you have done enough penance to make up for it.   
  
"You will live the peaceful afterlife you deserve and you'll never have to use a weapon again. This is your heaven, you've earned it." With those last words the light faded away and Kenshin felt the weight of his sword lifted. When he looked down he noticed that the Sakabatou was vanishing. It was true; the time of fighting was finally over.   
  
"Dad?" A voice asked from the gate. Kenshin looked up and met his son's eyes and for the first time, he saw the love that had been hidden in them.   
  
Kenji hugged both his parents at the same time and shed the only tears that could fall in heaven, those of happiness.   
  
"We are together," said Kenshin looking at everyone around him. These were the people he had learned to love and they were more than friends, they were his family. "And this time, it's forever."  
  
- Owari  
  
* * *  
  
Notes:  
  
[1] Soba: Japanese for Grandma, used only when a person is referring to his or her grandmother.  
  
Sobu: Japanese for Grandpa, used only when a person is referring to his or her grandfather.  
  
[2] It refers to events occurred on "Heavenly Lost" and the prologue of this fic.  
  
Final Author Notes: I wanted to thank everyone that encouraged me during the time it took me to write this fic. Every mail or review I got was treasured and every critical comment helped me improve (even a little) my writing and my English.  
  
For those of you who have been reading this since "Heavenly Lost": Thanks so much guys, I love you.  
  
- Misanagi 


End file.
